A Brave New World
by Trillian52
Summary: What happened to Todd after 'Common Ground? How did he adapt to life in a Wraith world that was very different from the one he left? This is my take on how things might have gone... My first attempt at fanfic so not as polished as later fics.
1. Chapter 1

_As an unashamed Todd fan, this is how I see his story unfolding between the time we left him in Common Ground and the time a bright shiny new Todd turned up in The Seer. Despite his wit and charm, I don't think he would have been able to just waltz onto a new hive, flash one of his cute grins, and announce "I'm back..." I like to think he had some challenges along the way to reasserting his credibility! I've made quite a number of assumptions about how Wraith society functions with which you may or may not agree - but what the heck - its just fun after all!_

_I thought quite alot about what to call our hero because when this story is set he hadn't yet been given the name 'Todd'. In the end I decided he will just be 'the Wraith'._

_Disclaimer: I don't own Atlantis - some of this is product of my imagination, some the product of other imaginations._

**A Brave New World**

The Wraith looked into the space that Sheppard had recently vacated. He was having difficulty comprehending that he was now free, standing on a world far removed from the hell that had been his home for so long. He looked around, taking in sights and sensations that he had despaired of ever experiencing again; the dancing lights of the stars, the colours of the trees, the feel of soft ground beneath his feet, the gentle caressing of his hair in the breeze, and the oh so sweet smell of air that was not tainted by the odour of his hated human captors. So long had he been a prisoner, so deep had been his despair that there was still an air of unreality about the whole escape.

When the human he now knew as Sheppard came into his life, the Wraith knew what he would be required to do. He had fed on other prisoners many times before. But this time it was different – probably because Sheppard himself was so different from the other humans who had shared the Wraith's torment and torture. This human was stronger, more determined and where others had shown fear when fed upon he had shown anger.

But most significantly, Sheppard's unerring confidence that his friends would come to his rescue was the thing that eventually captured the Wraith's interest. He was intrigued by the idea that other humans could value Sheppard's life so much they would put themselves at risk saving him. He had not expected that the other Wraith of his hive would look for him when he had disappeared. Indeed, as a commander he had never mounted rescue missions, even on the occasions when the missing individual was someone that the Wraith held in high esteem, someone that he counted among his 'brothers'. So from the moment he saw the Genii weapons ranged against him he knew he was on his own.

Sheppard was sure from the start that rescue would come and this belief did not lessen as he was gradually weakened by repeated feedings. The Wraith's tone was slightly mocking as he challenged the human. "Where are your friends?"

Despite his depleted physical state, Sheppard's faith had been unshakeable. "They'll be here."

Looking back, the Wraith knew that this was when he started to understand the depth of Sheppard's conviction. "You still believe that?"

"Yeah, I do – they just need more time."

Next time the Wraith fed it was as if he also absorbed some of the human's certainty about a rescue and he felt his own confidence start to rise. As his own strength returned, so too did hope until, finally, he had agreed to Sheppard's request that they work together to escape.

He did not think they would succeed. Escape would only be achieved by defeating the Genii, something that would not be easy for a human who had been relieved of much of his life force and a Wraith who had endured years of torture and starvation. But the good fortune that once guided his path as a Wraith commander, only to desert him during his long years of imprisonment, decided to favour him again. Surprisingly, Sheppard's people had come. Even more surprisingly, Sheppard had proved to be a man of his word – so where the Wraith had yet again anticipated death, he was given freedom.

-oOo-

He heard the buzz of Wraith darts and knew that rescue was not too far off. But despite revelling in this new, and totally unexpected, freedom, he found he could no longer ignore the cold finger of uncertainty that had begun to stir gently at the back of his mind. While he would not have admitted it to Sheppard during their escape, he was less than confident about the welcome he would receive from his fellow Wraith. Once upon a time he had been an experienced and highly respected hive commander. Now he was a Wraith who had been separated from others of his kind for so long that he suspected he could face a significant task regaining his place in society.

He had been captured by the Genii while leading a culling that was to be the hive's final feed before they settled for hibernation. He was uncertain exactly how long he had been a prisoner, but he was sure that his hive, and other hives that he knew, would still be hibernating. So the chances were high that he would be taken in by a hive with which he had no previous involvement. He had no doubt there would be questions. Where had he come from? Where had he been? What he had been doing? Why was he alone? These were all good questions – ones that he would have asked an unknown Wraith who turned up unexpectedly on his hive. But the speed of the escape had left the Wraith with little time to prepare answers so, at this point, he did not really want to face such an interrogation.

And there was another, potentially bigger problem. Wraith neither gave nor expected mercy in their dealings with the beings they saw only as a source of nourishment, so capture by humans inevitably resulted in death. If the exact nature of his treatment at the hands of the Genii became known his prospects for even reintegrating himself back into Wraith society could be difficult. The Wraith have many complex character traits – compassion is not one of them. Respect and loyalty are hard won. To admit that he had actually been captured, tortured and held for so long by humans and then owed his freedom to another human would be seen as weakness – a serious and possible fatal flaw. Certainly one that could derail any plans he might have to regain his former position. He had been ruthless and single-minded in his rise to the top of the Wraith chain of command before. Despite the position of disadvantage he now found himself in, he had little trouble seeing a future every bit as successful as the past that had been taken from him so cruelly. Provided, of course, that he could survive his first five minutes back on a hive!

The Wraith sensed that an approaching dart was targeting him. Closing his eyes, uncertain of where he would be taken, he waited to be captured in its beam.

-oOo-

He had forgotten the momentary sense of disorientation that accompanied the beaming process. But he knew instantly that he was back on a hive, although, as he had feared, it was not one with which he could feel any previous connection. Before opening his eyes, he savoured the array of sensory delights that assailed him – the unique, organic scents of the hive and its occupants, the smell of their leather coats, the odour of fear that emanated from the humans sealed in their cocoons awaiting their fate, the more alluring smell of the worshippers, the scent of all that had once been so familiar to him. But by far the most pervasive scent, the one that filled him simultaneously with fear and excitement, was the scent of the queen.

The Wraith knew immediately that she was a young queen – a situation that offered both opportunity and challenges. Opportunity because she and the hive commander would only just be starting to form the intense bond of leadership that develops over many years as they work together to maintain and protect the hive. But the situation required great caution because she would lack the experience and judgement of an older queen. While these traits make such female Wraith formidable individuals to deal with, they also ensure that the survival of the hive and the species is uppermost on the queen's mind. He knew from experience that young queens were supremely selfish and unpredictable – he had survived interactions with them before but it had never been easy.

So the Wraith found himself in a situation that would require him to use all his natural guile and cunning together with the political and diplomatic skills he had acquired over the centuries – something that would not be easy his present condition. Although he had only recently fed well on some of his hated Genii captors, it was not enough. Nourishment had been lost returning life to Sheppard and what remained barely made up for the degree of starvation he had reached when this human came into his life. And while his spirits were buoyed by the escape, he knew the years of despair and isolation had imposed a degree of damage on his psyche that would not be easily healed. Never before had he faced other Wraith in such a weakened and depleted mental and physical state. He knew that if he was to survive this encounter, he needed time to himself to strengthen his defences against the occupants of this hive. Especially the queen who, young as she was, would probe his mind relentlessly – searching for weaknesses and truths he was not prepared to share.


	2. Chapter 2

The Wraith did not have long to wait in the dart bay before he sensed others approaching. This was the moment of truth – he would either be taken in to be investigated further or rejected outright. He was old enough and wise enough to know that the situation was best handled with tact and diplomacy. Drawing himself up to his full, somewhat formidable height, he turned slowly and deliberately to face a troupe of faceless warriors. While their weapons were not aimed at him, he had no doubt they were under orders to fire should he make any sudden move. A male Wraith emerged slowly from behind the troupe and eyed the newcomer with the superior look that Wraith usually reserve for a creature they consider well below their consideration - or their next feed.

The newcomer was shorter than the Wraith and it was obvious that he was young and not of high rank – he had no facial hair, no tattoo, nothing to signify that he was anything more than a follower of orders. As the Wraith circled cautiously around the edges of this male's mind before making a full telepathic link, he knew that they had not met before.

He was startled as the link was suddenly initiated by the young Wraith, "we detected your presence on a world that Wraith do not inhabit – where have you come from?"

The tone was hostile and uninviting and, despite his position of relative weakness, the Wraith was annoyed that the link had been made without using the protocols normally reserved for such meetings between strangers. Protocols that demanded the link should be initiated by the older party to the conversation. Reassessing his previous intention to employ tact and diplomacy, he decided attack was the best form of defence, "where I have come from is of no concern to you. I am here now and I have needs to be fulfilled, including somewhere to rest."

He was detecting that this young Wraith had very little experience dealing with those who did not belong to his own hive – something the Wraith found strange given the level of interactions he remembered occurring between hives. His own hive had often shared intelligence gleaned from worshippers and worked on scientific projects with Wraith from other hives. But despite this inexperience the youngster was clearly not going to be cowed into submission, "we do not welcome strangers in this hive, especially ..." he paused to look the Wraith up and down "ones such as you."

Perhaps it was the sense of disgust this underling projected in his direction, perhaps it was his pride responding to such an appraisal – either way the Wraith was suddenly aware of the toll his long years of captivity must have taken on his appearance. He looked at the well groomed hair, the clean face and the high buff of the leather coat worn by the one who faced him and was disturbed to realise how much his years away from his people had cost him.

"You know nothing of me." The Wraith moved closer and growled deeply as he looked down into the face of his younger adversary, "you will do as I have commanded or you will suffer the consequences."

This time the underling took a small step backwards. The Wraith could sense the conflict in the other's mind and knew he was gaining the upper hand, "take me to some quarters and do not question me again."

The underling hesitated for a moment before bowing his head and signalling this older member of his race to follow. The Wraith had won this first round but it gave him little comfort. While his concern about the welcome he would receive from the leaders of this hive was slightly diminished, he now sensed something else in this hive that gave him cause to feel uneasy. Some thought, some disturbance, something alien and intangible that he could not immediately identify but that he knew he had never felt before.

They moved silently through the corridors of the hive, the troupe of warriors following at a discreet distance. The Wraith welcomed the silence as he savoured everything the hive had to offer. Indeed, for someone who had been separated from a hive for so long it was like an elixir. Each turn awakened long buried memories of other hives and other Wraith, especially those he considered his brothers – memories that fed further into his optimism about his future. The vibrant, organic colours and textures of the hive, the gentle hum of the engines, the sounds of other Wraith – all contrasted sharply with the silence and the hard, unyielding surfaces of the Genii prison. Each time they passed other male he felt his telepathic skills become less rusty. Even though he did not meet any familiar minds, the close proximity to others of his kind was far, far more delicious than he had ever anticipated during his years of captivity.

The entourage finally stopped before a closed door that the young Wraith opened to show a small room. Not quite the commander's quarters that the Wraith had occupied during his last time on a hive but it would serve his immediate needs.

He turned and spoke to his escort, "this is barely adequate but it will do for now. I require a full set of new clothing – take care not to disturb me until it is ready." He knew from experience that this request could be met but it would take some time to achieve – precious time in which he could think about what to do next.

Not waiting for the underling's response, the Wraith moved into the room and closed the door. He may have been separated from his kind for a while but he knew that his demeanour and attitude had made an impression on this young Wraith. As he turned to look round the room he knew sentries had been posted outside indicating that while he may have won some respect, trust was still a long way off.

The room was furnished in the Spartan style that the Wraith had missed while languishing in the Genii prison. On the far side stood a couch where the room's occupant could sit when he needed time for contemplation and mediation, in the corner to his left stood a tall cupboard, on the wall next to the cupboard were a series of hooks to hang clothing. He grimaced as he again remembered the concrete walls and floor of his cell and the coldness and despair that seeped from them into his bones. The overwhelming difference between that Genii cell and this room, the thing that the Wraith had really missed, was the organic atmosphere that oozed innocuously from the walls and was even now enveloping him in its nurturing essence.

He removed the long leather coat that had, for so long, been his one tangible connection to his former life and his Wraith identity. Now it represented something much different, now it was a reminder of the torture and deprivation that had been forced on him by the Genii. So he didn't trouble to hang it up, rather he channelled into it all the animosity he felt towards those particular humans and kicked it into the corner.

Feeling better for that expression of emotion, the Wraith walked over and sat down on the meditation couch. Drawing long, deep breaths, bridging his fingers, and closing his eyes, he contemplated his next move. He brought the structured logic of his scientific mind to bear on the challenges that lay ahead in order to work out what was his most pressing priority.

He knew that an older, more experience adversary would not yield to his words and orders as easily as the young Wraith he had just dismissed. So, he must think of how best he could recast his experiences in a 'positive' light. He had to make an interrogator believe that he was telling the truth and that there was no need to look beyond his words and into his mind. He decided it would be best to start with the truth about being separated from his hive during a culling, but then let the story become more fluid. Rather than telling of the shame of being captured alive by humans he would tell of a nomadic life using the things the humans called 'Stargates' to wander through the galaxy, of finding humans to feed on when he could but, until today, never finding himself either close enough to a hive to make contact or on a planet that was being culled. The Wraith knew this version of the story posed other questions but there had been no Wraith witnesses to his capture so there could be no one to challenge him outright. The only thing that could give him away was his own inability to control the depth of his feelings towards the humans and the experiences that they had forced upon him.

So it was critical to gain full control over the memories of his interactions with all humans, both those who had held him captive and those who had helped him to escape. These thoughts had to be locked away in the furthest reaches of his mind if he was to keep them from the powerful, prying mind of a queen. To do this he must focus on memories from his former life. Memories that had been etched deep into his brain during the seemingly endless years of his imprisonment when he had re-lived those happier times over and over again in an effort to fend off the loneliness, pain and desolation that imprisonment and starvation had imposed on him. So he allowed his mind to go back to the time before his capture, back to the time when he had served his queen and worked with her to develop a hive and a crew that had become one of the most respected in the Wraith world.


	3. Chapter 3

Long before the Genii developed anything more that basic technology, before Sheppard and his friends were even born, the Wraith held a position of power and influence as a scientist and military commander. But this success was not achieved easily. He had worked his way to the top by learning from every experience, good and bad, that had shaped his life. These were the memories that he needed to focus on now. So, as he sat on this new hive preparing for a meeting with its leaders, he took himself back in time as far as his memory would allow, back to when he was young and had so much to learn.

-oOo-

In truth, he had few clear memories of life before he joined a hive, when he was a young Wraith on his home world. He recalled long days spent with other young males learning about the environment and society in which he lived and developing the skills that he would need as an adult. His interests were wide and varied – he enjoyed the raw energy of hand-to-hand combat, he had practiced the skill and balance needed to use a knife and had hungrily devoured everything that scientific learning offered. Then, with little warning, his physiology changed and he began to need nourishment by way of human life force. Things moved quickly and he remembered the intense excitement – at last he was going to a hive and his life would really begin!

The choice of which hive he joined was made for him – it was one that belonged to a loosely connected group of Wraith who counted the human planets near his home world among their feeding grounds. Once he joined the hive, it hadn't taken long to realise that the days of easy interaction with other Wraith were over. He was used to the strict protocols that governed Wraith society, but he found that life on a hive was more structured and disciplined that he had ever imagined. The hive's success depended on the ability of its leaders to command respect and maintain order. Each member of the crew understood his role and place within the command structure and discipline was administered ruthlessly. Mistakes were dealt with swiftly and, if warranted, brutally. There was no room for weakness or compromise. But despite, or perhaps because of this culture of discipline, he did start to form bonds with other males, bonds that were built on respect and trust, bonds that he knew he must cultivate if he was to reach his full potential.

Some aspects of hive life came as a pleasant surprise. He smiled as he remembered his first culling and the sheer exhilaration that flowed into every part of his body as he fed for the first time. The process activated his regenerative powers and, as his strength began to increase, he needed to feed more often than a fully mature Wraith. With each subsequent feeding his strength and powers continued to grow until finally he knew he could take his place as an adult Wraith. It was then that he chose the distinctive tattoo that now adorned his face. This was a ritual most young Wraith saw as an informal coming of age, although some individuals, for reasons he could never understand, chose not to participate. The tattoo was a starburst design around his left eye – to him it represented his connection to the sky and the stars that had developed on his home world and provided a source of strength and confidence.

The Wraith also enjoyed getting to know the hive's human worshippers, especially the females. At first he found their softness and submissive demeanour disconcerting – these traits were so different from the mental and physical strength he admired in the queen. But then he began to enjoy their company as they helped with his grooming and became part of the routine of his life. His naturally inquiring mind meant he could not just treat them as the slaves they were – rather he needed to know more about them. So he engaged them in conversation, asked questions, listened to their stories and discovered something interesting – while females responded positively to his smile, it had very little effect on the males. He never tried to understand these humans but, over time, he developed a significant bank of knowledge about them as he learnt about human societies and their relationships with each other. He found out that different groups operated under different social structures, that they traded with others of their kind, and that, unlike Wraith, they retained links that often lasted all their lives with others referred to as 'family'.

The Wraith brought his thoughts back to the present. He had forgotten about this concept of 'family' – perhaps it explained why Sheppard had been so confident about being rescued. This was an interesting idea but one he must put away for further consideration once he had achieved his immediate goal of staying alive. He returned to his memories.

So life had been good. Over the centuries he adapted to the cycle of activity and hibernation that Wraith had adopted as their numbers grew and it became clear that humans were a limited resource that needed to be managed carefully. He worked hard, obeyed orders without question and, most importantly, watched and learnt. Of course there were setbacks along the way but nothing too serious and he always managed to salvage at least something from such events, even if it was just to learn not to take that sort of chance again. He learnt about trust and deception, loyalty and betrayal and how to take every opportunity that was offered turn it to his advantage whenever possible. But importantly he learnt that success could not be achieved without risk – a lesson he would never forget.

As his experience grew so too did his ambition. He understood that most Wraith were happy to exist in the shadow of a strong commander, but, as he became more experienced and more trusted in the hive, he realised he was among the few who saw themselves as leaders rather than followers. He knew he had all the natural talents needed to be a very successful leader. He was tall and strong, his piloting skills were exceptional, his understanding of scientific ideas was impressive and, through the constant skirmishes with the humans known as Lanteans, he was developing a strong, almost instinctive, sense of military strategy. So he began to work his way gradually up the chain of command – waiting patiently for that opportunity he was certain would come, the opportunity to serve his own queen and command his own hive!

-oOo-

The Lanteans were the only race who possessed the knowledge and technology to challenge Wraith for dominance of the galaxy. It was common knowledge among Wraith that their species had evolved because of these powerful humans. They had been allowed to develop unchecked until the Lanteans realised, too late, exactly what this evolutionary process had created – a race of technologically advanced beings who lived on human life force. Over the centuries that followed this and Lanteans co-existed uneasily. Both races controlled parts of the galaxy and tolerated the other's continuing presence only because neither possessed either the resources or the technological edge significant enough to destroy or even subdue the other.

But then things changed. The Lanteans began testing the borders of Wraith-held territory, raiding outer worlds and taking human inhabitants back to be resettled on worlds under their protection. At first these encroachments resulted in an increase in the type of minor engagement that had been occurring for centuries as both sides flexed their muscles. But then it became far more serious as the Lanteans gained confidence and pushed further into Wraith territory. It became a threat that Wraith could not let go unchallenged and so a full blown war began that would only end with the total defeat of one side or the other.

As the war took its toll new hives were commissioned and it was not long before the Wraith had manoeuvred himself into the position of second-in-command on a hive operating in the area of heaviest Lantean incursion. Fortune continued to smile on him - after only a handful of engagements, the hive commander was killed and the Wraith acted immediately to take command. He had not expected any challenges from other males and none came. His new position was sealed quickly by the queen's agreement. Command of the hive also secured him a place on the council directing the war effort and it didn't take long for other members to appreciate that his ideas and opinions could be trusted.

But as the war continued the Lanteans began to gain the upper hand through their more sophisticated technology. While Wraith scientists developed new technologies to try to counter this advantage, they also looked for more creative ways to turn the tide of war in their favour. Perhaps the Lantean's biggest advantage lay with their power generation units – Zero Point Modules. Ever since a Lantean ship powered by a single ZPM had been captured early in the war, Wraith scientists had tried to duplicate the technology. They hadn't succeeded but, realising that the best chance of beating the human was through sheer force of numbers, they developed an experimental cloning facility that drew its power from the ZPM. The capture of three more Lantean ships delivered more power modules - the facility was expanded and within months the number of Wraith warriors had increased exponentially.

With defeat inevitable, the Lanteans had retreated to their home city of Atlantis and then disappeared from the galaxy. But they left behind a lethal legacy. Just as the victors started to settle into their new role as supreme masters of the galaxy another enemy emerged. Only this time they weren't living, breathing humans but artificial beings that resembled humans in their physical appearance but were composed entirely of computer coding. They proved a formidable enemy but their downfall came with the development of a computer virus that rewrote their base code to neutralise the attack command written into their coding. The Wraith led the team that wrote this virus and ended an unnecessary and deadly diversion that had taken more Wraith lives for no tangible benefits.

-oOo-

The Wraith opened his eyes and took a long, deep breath as he considered position he had held once all the enemies of his race were defeated. He had won the recognition he knew he deserved – he commanded a hive of loyal followers who accepted his authority unquestioningly, he led a group of hives whose commanders respected and trusted him, and he served a queen he found beautiful and fascinating. This was the most personally satisfying of all his achievements. She ruled with an iron hand of discipline which made her dangerous even to him – but she also respected his strength and power. They developed a relationship built on mutual trust, respect and need – and as he sat in this small room on a hive where every other being was a stranger to him he realised how much he missed her and everything they had shared.

His thoughts were suddenly infiltrated by the same alien feeling that had touched him earlier when he left the dart bay with his young escort. Something was disturbing the usual patterns of life that helped to maintain order and discipline in the hive. This time the feeling was stronger – probably because he was now more attuned to the rhythms of this hive and he could sense the emotions of the crew around him. Even though he hadn't been this close to others for a long, long time, he knew he had never before sensed the high levels of tension and distrust he now felt. He was confused. What could have happened to cause such a disturbance? The Lanteans had fled the galaxy – surely they could not have returned? He could not imagine that another race of humans would have been allowed to develop a level of technology that would even come close to threatening Wraith control of the galaxy. But something had clearly happened during his absence to alter the balance of power. Something that he sensed could have a significant influence on his plans to regain his position.


	4. Chapter 4

Before he could return to reminiscing about his queen, the Wraith became aware of someone other than his guards waiting outside the door. He knew it was not the brash young male he had met earlier. This one had the good manners to pause and announce his presence before entering the room, indicating that he was older and understood the protocols for meetings between strangers.

He stood as the door opened. The one who entered was indeed older. Like most males he was shorter than the Wraith although he was wider across the shoulders. He had a swirling tattoo across his right cheek, his beard was separated into two braids and his hair was pulled off his forehead into a series of small braids at the back.

This time the Wraith was given time to initiate the telepathic link although it was the visitor who spoke first, "I have brought what you requested and a worshipper to provide assistance if that is your wish."

The Wraith looked past him into the face of a female worshipper. His new clothes were draped over her arm and she carried a jug of water and a towel. He watched her move across to the tall cupboard, open the door and place the jug on a wide shelf before putting the clothes on one of the wall hooks. The male carried a new pair of boots and placed them under the clothes. He was relieved that his request had been filled – he was fairly certain he would not be given new clothes if they intended to kill him in the immediate future. He turned his attention back to the other male, "I appreciate that."

"You will be taken to the commander when you are ready."

The visitor turned to leave but the Wraith decided he needed to know now why this hive felt so different, "wait, I have questions that need answers."

The male hesitated and the Wraith read the conflict in his mind. He was under strict orders to minimise contact with this newcomer and not reveal any information about the hive. Nevertheless, he turned back, "I will answer what I can." He cast a quick look out into the corridor before moving further back into the room, closing the door and looking directly into the Wraith's eyes, "you have been alone for a long time?"

The Wraith nodded but decided that he was not going to volunteer his 'new' story unless absolutely necessary, "long enough – but not so long that I do not remember how the rhythms of a hive and its crew should feel. I can detect things on this hive – mistrust and suspicion – that I have not experienced before. Why?"

"It is because we are at war, but not the type of war you know. This is a war that is pitting Wraith against Wraith. The keeper of a sleeping hive was killed so we have all woken at once and, as expected, there are not enough humans for us all to feed upon. So the strong are preying on the weak and alliances are being formed and then abandoned. We are part of an alliance but it is built on fear, not trust as in the old days, and we know we can be betrayed and killed at any time."

A war between Wraith? This was something totally unexpected and the Wraith didn't understand how it could have happened. Certainly, he knew why all the hives had woken at once. While the system of having some hives active while others hibernated was necessary to conserve the supply of humans, it was recognised that such a system could be used by a rogue commander to eliminate others he held a grudge against. So a mechanism was built into the system whereby all hives would wake if a hibernating hive came under attack and her crew, specifically her keeper, were killed. The system had been agreed to by all queens and commanders and had been honoured for thousands of years – who could have been foolish enough to break this arrangement?

"The consequences of attacking a sleeping hive are well known to us all. What Wraith was foolish enough to take this risk?"

The visitor smiled ironically, "it was not a Wraith who triggered this unfortunate chain of events. It was a group of humans who have travelled from another galaxy and now inhabit the city of the Lanteans. They possess the ability to use Lantean technology and they have been a thorn in our side since the day they set foot in this galaxy."

The Wraith nodded slowly, trying to absorb what all this meant for him personally. This new situation was extremely disturbing. Not only was he facing the immediate problem of being accepted into this hive but he now had to come to terms with the fact that the society of which he had been a part for so many thousands of years was essentially gone. The old alliances with other hives and the relationships he had fostered with other Wraith, all built on trust and common interest, now stood for nothing. He felt a sudden pang of despair as he realised that the future he had started to imagine reclaiming now existed only in his mind.

But then, always one to look at all sides of a problem, the Wraith realised that there was one positive aspect to this new situation. Provided they had not been betrayed and destroyed, his queen, his hive, his crew were not hibernating as he had assumed they would be. But his optimism was short lived as he also realised that things on board would have changed far more than he imagined during his imprisonment. He knew all too well what would have happened after he disappeared. Presumed dead, he would not have been missed for long, not even by his queen – it is not the Wraith way to mourn the dead. The survival of the hive is of primary importance and his military experience and scientific skills would have been missed more than his conversational skills. Command of the hive would have been assumed quickly by one of his underlings. The scientific work he had been leading would have been completed by others. The hive would have continued with their scheduled hibernation and, as his crew slept, any remaining memories of him would have slipped away into the deepest recesses of their minds.

The more he thought about them, the more certain he became that they were out there in the galaxy – perhaps, if he was lucky, even allied with this hive. Unfortunately, like this hive, they would be infected with suspicion and mistrust making any plan he might formulate to find and reclaim them so much more difficult to enact.

As for the fact that these events were triggered by human meddling in Wraith affairs – the Wraith had a strong suspicion the responsible humans included those who had been involved in his escape from the Genii. He could not be sure they used Lantean technology – he had woken on a different planet to the one of his imprisonment and had no idea how he'd been transported there. Looking back he realised that the weapons these humans carried showed a far more sophisticated level of technology than he believed humans should have access to and their clothing was different from that of any humans he had ever met before. So, if they _were_ the ones who started this war, he must think very carefully about how he could best use this new relationship. One thing was sure - he had just found another reason to hide his connection with the human he knew as Sheppard until it was in his best interests to do otherwise.

-oOo-

He roused himself from his thoughts and realised that the other male had left. He also realised that the worshipper now stood in the centre of the room holding a towel. He stood up and waited for her to remove the remainder of his old, and he now realised, very unsavoury clothing. As she started to wash away the years of imprisonment and the stench of human contact, he smiled as he remembered how much he enjoyed this process. Physical contact was not a Wraith social practice but he had always been fascinated by the sensations that human touch on his skin aroused in him. It was not the exhilaration that came with feeding – this was something more sensual. Perhaps, once he was settled in this hive, he would have more free time to investigate further.

The Wraith was disturbed that again his thoughts had drifted so easily from the job at hand – this was something he must control before it became a problem that could leave him vulnerable. He saw that the worshipper was waiting to help him into his new clothes. The shirt, pants and boots were standard design and while the coat was not particularly stylish it fitted well enough to make him feel that, in appearance at least, he would now blend in with his fellow Wraith.

Then he saw her looking at his hair. He had always been very proud of his physical appearance, especially his hair, but he knew from the look on her face that this was yet another part of his life that was irreparably changed forever. He sighed, "oh, just do what you can with it!"

She worked silently attending to his needs. He was pleased that at least something remained of the old world he knew – worshippers still knew their place and did not speak until spoken to by their masters. Finally, when she had finished buttoning up his coat and buckling his belt, he initiated the conversation with a smile, "thank you". She looked up in surprise – obviously she was not used to being thanked for her work. She walked over to collect the water jug then looked back with a smile before walking out of the room.

The Wraith returned to the meditation couch. He was disturbed by something the other male had said "...we are at war, but not the type of war you know". He had been very careful not to reveal anything about himself and he knew that his thoughts had not been disturbed. Despite his long separation, he knew he would be able to detect even the most tenuous connection with someone he had known previously. Yet he had not felt anything at all to indicate a previous link with this stranger. So how did his visitor know he had been involved in earlier wars?

-oOo-

The promised summons from the commander came quickly – delivered by the young Wraith he had met earlier. The young male kept his silence as they walked but he now treated the newcomer with more respect than he had shown at their first meeting. It was not much but it was enough to boost the Wraith's confidence as he walked to a meeting he knew would decide his fate one way or another.

They were met at the door to the commander's quarters by the older male who had brought his clothes. His young escort turned to leave and once he was safely out of sight, the older one spoke quietly to the Wraith, "our commander carries a heavy burden and he can, at times, be more unpredictable than most commanders tend to be. He was not of a trusting nature before this war and now he sees the shadows of betrayal everywhere and punishes without mercy those he even suspects of treachery."

The Wraith took a long deep breath - it had been a long, long time since he had faced a hive commander as an underling and he did not like it one little bit.


	5. Chapter 5

The Wraith walked slowly into the commander's quarters contemplating the warnings he had just been given. So this commander expected betrayal rather than loyalty from his crew – no wonder such a strong sense of mistrust infiltrated the rhythms of this hive. This information helped explain something else that had surprised him – why this meeting was taking place in the commander's private rooms rather than on the bridge of the hive. The warning about unpredictability worried him too - he knew he had to be on his guard but this would make things even more difficult.

He looked around the commander's quarters – a space that had once been so familiar to him - a space that he one day hoped to occupy again. In his experience, Wraith liked to personalise their quarters with odds and ends they picked up travelling through the galaxy – trophies such as the primitive weapons some human societies managed to develop or other more functional things such as candles. Judging by the look of this room, this one hadn't embraced the practice with any enthusiasm. The quarters held only the most basic functional equipment – a meditation couch, larger and more sumptuously padded than the standard model, a large table and several chairs placed in the middle of the room and, off to one side, a larger version of the standard tall cupboard.

The biggest difference in this room was the bank of screens and terminals that linked into the hive's control systems and allowed the occupant to monitor all that happened in and around the hive. The commander was keying strokes into one of these terminals - he hadn't looked up and clearly meant to finish this job. The Wraith knew from experience that this was a strategy designed to put him off balance – it was one he had often used himself when he wanted to emphasise the power and control he held over another. He was sure he had never met this individual before. Certainly, he had not commanded a hive during the Lantean war and their paths had never crossed after the war. Finally the commander finished his work and turned his attention to his visitor.

They were of the same height and build but that is where any likeness ended. This one did not carry himself with the air of supreme confidence that made most commanders instantly recognisable amongst the masses. He wore his hair in the traditional style pulled back from his forehead, but it was far longer than usual, as was his beard. His tattoo was a long inter-twining branch that extended from his left temple, over his jaw line and down his neck. His coat was etched with a similar pattern in bands down the front of the bodice. The Wraith had always been suspicious of those who needed elaborate decoration to show their individuality. Like most of his kind, he was proud of his personal appearance, but he found that such extensive decoration indicated personality traits, such as excessive vanity, he had always associated with weakness. As he stood looking at this commander he realised, that on the surface at least, there was much he did not like, or trust. He knew the feeling was mutual and the commander's disdainful look confirmed this would not be an easy meeting.

Although he knew he was the older of the two, the Wraith waited to be addressed. Very different protocols governed contact between a commander and his crew and it was a brave soul who dared to initiate a link in a situation such as this one. Finally the commander spoke, but there was no effort to communicate telepathically - rather he spoke with a soft but menacing growl that emphasised the mockery in his words.

"I have heard stories of you, the one with the starburst tattoo. They say you were a powerful commander – one of the leaders of our victory against the Lanteans. That you were a scientist of great skill who developed the tool by which we beat another enemy that was spawned by the Lanteans. I heard you disappeared one day, lost during a culling. I find this strange if you are, indeed, as strong and clever as others believe you to be. It sounds to me that you are foolish and careless rather than clever." The commander looked back down at his command terminal as he continued. "So tell me, if these stories are true, how can it be that you now stand here before me with your life ready to be forfeit at my whim?"

The Wraith had not expected this approach. He had been so sure he would be unknown to this hive and so would be quizzed about his identity - where he had come from and why was he alone? That's how he would have handled such a situation. But at least he now knew something important – he hadn't been totally forgotten and, more importantly, he was remembered outside both his own hive and the group of hives he had collaborated with in the centuries after the Lantean war. Beneath the mockery of the commander's words, the Wraith also detected a vague sense of grudging respect. He thought quickly how he could turn this new situation to his advantage. Certainly he needed to show humility but he also knew that the commander's distrust and fear of betrayal presented an opportunity to press home the advantage his experience gave him.

He bowed his head respectfully as he spoke. "If I did play a role in defeating our enemies, why would you want to take my life? If I am as careless as you say then I will have lost the respect of those who once followed me. But, and this is what you should consider most carefully when deciding my fate, I still have far more knowledge and experience than most of your crew. In these troubled times, a wise commander would not squander such experience on a personal whim – he would use it to further his own ambitions and strengthen his place in his alliance."

Perhaps casting doubt on the commander's wisdom was not all that tactful but he found himself unable to submit totally before this antagonism and attack on his abilities. He knew his best strategy was to play up his strengths while emphasising that his loss of prestige effectively meant he posed very little threat. He also knew that the commander _should_ be able to place the survival of the hive above his own feelings and see the sense of these words.

The Wraith started to feel some of his anxiety slip slowly away – perhaps this might be easier than he'd anticipated. But then the commander changed his line of questioning. "Where have you been since you disappeared? What did you do all those years? Why have you not been found before?"

Hesitating momentarily, the Wraith decided he couldn't afford to sound defensive as he told his story. "I was doing what any who found themselves in such a situation would do – I was trying staying alive. Perhaps it was a moment of careless distraction that led to my separation but once it became clear that I was alone, I did everything in my power to be rescued. My hive was going into hibernation on an uninhabited world so I had no chance of getting back to them. I used the gates left behind by the Lanteans to travel between worlds, feeding when I could, trying to get close enough to make contact with a hive, any hive. It was a lonely existence which I did not enjoy but I survived."

He sensed that the commander had other questions but decided he must cut them off. If he was reading things correctly, his words about being more experienced than most of the crew had hit home and he needed to turn the conversation back to his future rather than his past.

"The issue we are faced with now is not how I survived. The reality is that I stand before you ready to serve you and help your hive deal with this unfortunate civil war in which we find ourselves. The question is can you afford not to make me part of your crew? If _you_ are uncertain, I am sure your queen would welcome one who could help to make this hive stronger. Perhaps we should ask her?

The Wraith knew he was moving into dangerous territory by mentioning the queen and the commander's quick, violent response was not totally unexpected. "You will not meet my queen – she has no time for the likes of you."

So he had been right in his assessment when he first joined the hive. The bonds of leadership between the young queen and this commander were still being spun – and he was not going to be allowed an opportunity to use his experiences of dealing with stronger, more mature females to disrupt the process.

The commander finally turned back from his terminal and looked the Wraith up and down, weighing up the risks involved with taking one with far more experience than he possessed into his crew. "You will be supervised at all times and your movements around the hive will be limited. You will do the jobs that are given to you and no more. You will not approach my queen – if you do I will kill you. If I suspect that you are doing anything at all to advance your own cause and undermine my position, I will not hesitate to kill you. Do I make your position clear?"

The antagonism that dripped from the commander's voice as he delivered this statement made everything clear to the Wraith. Personal feelings were being put aside and this commander would use this wealth of talent and experience that had landed on his lap. But he would not trust this newcomer and would keep him on a very tight leash. The Wraith realised he was not surprised, in fact he agreed with this approach – if an experienced rival such as he turned up on _his_ hive, he would probably do exactly the same thing.

He turned to leave but was stopped by the commander's parting words. "I will allow you to live - for now. But remember this – I know there is much you are not telling me and you are strong enough to keep me from entering your mind to find the truth. But I will be watching you and I will know the truth eventually. When I do you will wish that you were back leading your pathetic life wandering the galaxy alone."

-oOo-

He was escorted back to his room by his entourage of faceless warriors and the older male who was becoming quite familiar to him. He recognised this strategy too – his contact with other males on the hive would be limited, as much as possible, to a small number the commander felt he could trust. Again there was no communication as they walked but when he entered his room he was surprised to see this male follow without invitation.

The visitor closed the door and looked intensely at the Wraith. When he finally communicated, he spoke rather than using a telepathic link indicating his words were private. "There are others on this hive beside the commander who know of your past, including myself."

The Wraith looked closely at the one standing before him. "And that is how you knew that this war was different from any I had been involved with before?"

The visitor nodded but did not speak.

"Then why have I not sensed any bond of familiarity between us?"

"During the Lantean war I served on the hive you commanded. It was my first hive and, as I did my job and kept out of trouble, I was beneath your notice. So yes, commander, I know you." He paused as if deciding in his mind if he should go on. "And I also know that under _your _command, this hive could lead an alliance rather than run or hide every time we encounter another for fear of being attacked and destroyed. You should know that there are others on board who would be prepared to follow..."

The Wraith cut short this declaration. "Silence! If you think to lure me into treachery with your words you clearly do not know me. Such talk on my hive would have been rewarded with death and I will have not part of it here. Get out and do not show your face here again."

The visitor bowed his head and left without looking back.

The Wraith suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of exhaustion. This was all turning out to be far more complicated than he ever imagined. Yes, he had been accepted into this hive but his life was in the hands of a commander who had serious difficulty trusting even his own crew. And now he seemed to have become the inspiration for members of the crew who were discontented with their current leadership. Or had he, could it be that this information was being fed to him under instructions from the commander to test his loyalty? He sat down on the mediation couch – he needed time to rest.


	6. Chapter 6

While he craved time to himself, the Wraith knew he wouldn't be left alone to ponder his immediate future for too long. So he was not surprised when his young escort arrived although the troupe of faceless warriors was now missing. He _was_ surprised though when the youngster showed him the courtesy of waiting outside the room and speaking in a low voice from the doorway. "You must come with me now. You must not ask questions. We are both being watched and I will not lose my position to satisfy your curiosity."

The Wraith did not consider this one had too much of a position to lose yet but he supposed it was all relative. Moving to the door he looked down into the young face that now seemed to carry an air of naivety rather than the distasteful arrogance of their first meeting. He nodded in agreement. In truth, the declaration of support from his other escort had disturbed him greatly and, until he was able to gauge if the words had been spoken in truth or in deception as a mechanism to trap him, he must tread very warily!

They did not communicate as they wended their way along the seemingly endless corridors of the hive. Finally they stopped in the area where the humans collected during the last culling were cocooned. His escort left quickly without a word or a backward glance.

The Wraith looked around and smiled. Was this to be his new job – looking after their human cargo? The irony of the situation was not lost on him. After suffering the pangs of starvation for so long, was he now to be one of the minders of the hive's pantry – one of the guardians of beings about whom he now had such mixed feelings?

But his smile disappeared almost as soon as it touched his face as he realised he was being watched. Without moving his head he turned his attention towards a lone male standing quietly in the shadows behind him – a presence that disturbed him to the very core of his being. He sensed a sly, devious, weak-minded individual who, in some ways, reminded him of the Genii soldiers – minions who revelled in the little power they held and used every opportunity to denigrate those under their control. On _his_ hive, the Wraith had viewed such individuals as dangerous and always dealt with them ruthlessly. To his mind they were expendable and he'd never hesitated to send them on missions he knew carried the most danger. Many never returned – but the majority of those who did often found it expedient to change their attitude and avoid their commander's further scrutiny.

But this was not his hive and he must put such thoughts to the back of his mind. He knew this individual who watched him must be amongst the commander's most loyal officers – one whose cruelty towards others would be rewarded rather than punished. He realised then why the meeting was being held near the human cocoons – few passed by here and there was little chance that they would be disturbed.

The stranger communicated without moving from the shadows. "My commander told me who you are and gave me instructions to watch you very carefully. He does not trust you. I do not trust you but I have your measure in full so do not think you can deceive me. Your life is in my hands and I will not hesitate to destroy you. I have fed on many who have offended me and watched their defiance melt away as I put an end to their weak, meaningless lives."

The Wraith seriously doubted this one would ever have the intelligence to fully gauge the character and capabilities of another. But never before had he been threatened in such a way by one of his own kind and the thought of using the feeding process as a form of punishment filled him with disgust. He hesitated before answering, allowing himself to control the almost overpowering instinct to respond to the threat those words carried. But he was determined not to allow the other to gain the upper hand in what was potentially going to be a long and difficult relationship. He must try to unsettle this shadowy figure and experience had shown him the best way to do this way was by responding calmly to such aggression.

"I have no intention of deceiving you or any on this hive. I am grateful to have been given a place and just want to be a useful member of the crew."

"I will be the one to decide if you are useful or not and I will deal with you as I see fit."

He could feel the irritation that accompanied this statement and knew his approach was working. So he continued with the same calm attitude, this time bowing his head slightly as he spoke. "As you wish."

"Do not think that I am fooled by your polite responses and your compliant manner." This time the irritation verged on anger. "I know that one who has tasted the absolute power you once held will not be content to play the role of an underling forever. I know that you will eventually try to seize control of this hive and I will do everything in my power to make sure that you do not succeed."

The Wraith decided it was now time to push back. "I hope for your sake that you are able to do that."

Finally the watcher stepped out of the shadows and bared his teeth in a vicious snarl. "You are in no position to threaten me!"

The Wraith smiled the little half smile he reserved for those situations where he saw humour that others seemed to miss. "This is no threat. I am merely pointing out the reality of _our _situation." The smile had gone when he turned to look directly into the narrow slits of the other's eyes. He needed to complete this conversation by sowing a seed of doubt. "It is clear that your commander trusts no one, not even you. So, as I see it, your own life is as much at risk as mine and I think it is in both our interests to keep the commander from imagining treachery or failure where none exists. Don't you agree?"

As the Wraith had hoped, his adversary, like all weak-minded creatures, became unsure of how to respond in the face of anything that could endanger his position of power.

So he chose to simply end the conversation. "You will work with our scientists. Do not forget that I will be watching you and waiting for your own arrogance to bring about your downfall."

And then he was gone.

-oOo-

It did not take long for his young escort to reappear and the Wraith sensed he'd waited nearby listening to what he could of the conversation.

As before they moved through the hive in silence. Only this time the Wraith led the way – he knew exactly where the main laboratories were located. Looking around as they entered, the Wraith felt a surge of confidence to be back in these familiar surroundings. Back in the place which had often been his sanctuary from the demands of leadership, the place where he had collaborated with other scientists to complete some of his most satisfying work.

The laboratories were a suite of three interlinked rooms located well away from the hive's outer shell to protect them from damage in the event of a military strike. Each lab was dedicated to a very specific purpose. The one in which he now stood was devoted to maintaining the many essential technical elements of the hive – the engines, the hyper-drive, life support and the natural regenerative systems. Next door was a smaller lab where scientists worked on computer programs - usually to improve the hive's performance but occasionally the work focused on problems, such as the Lantean's deadly legacy, that could not be solved by military action alone. Beyond that was the largest lab where the scientists who specialised in military systems worked on projects to improve the weapons capabilities of both the hive and its fleet of darts. All three labs were fitted with screens and monitors but each lab also contained its own unique range of additional equipment. Importantly, the atmosphere here was radically different to that in the rest of the hive – its essence focused on nurturing creativity and innovation while the colours of each room appeared deeper and more intense.

A male looked up from his work as they entered the room. He was scanning through some schematics that the Wraith instantly recognised as the hive's hyper-drive. A small double sided tattoo cut across his right eye and he looked much older than anyone the Wraith had come across so far. It appeared this was the hive's chief scientist – a view that was confirmed when he dismissed the young one with a curt nod.

Once they were alone, the Wraith looked more closely at the scientist and was relieved to sense something other than the naked antagonism he was rapidly coming to expect as a matter of course on this hive. He realised just how tired he was getting of this constant stream of mistrust and suspicion that kept bombarding his mind. But here he sensed a great deal of experience and the type of open, inquiring mind he would have expected to find in one whose work depended on collaboration rather than competition.

Scientists were generally not interested in the type of intense rivalry that drove relationships in the military ranks and consequently their telepathic abilities were less developed. They preferred to communicate verbally. "Welcome to my laboratories. I know of the work you did during the Lantean war, especially with the computer virus developed to deal with those monsters the Lanteans left behind."

The Wraith could not sense any familiarity with the scientist but decided to test what bonds, if any, might exist between them. "I do not believe we have met before?"

"No, but I have connections to some who have worked alongside you. I know that you are a very good scientist. I also know that you had a reputation as a commander who was quite ruthless – one who took chances and expected others to follow without question."

"I expected nothing from others that I did not expect from myself." The Wraith was not sure why but it was important to him that this scientist understood the value that he had placed on his crew as their commander and knew that he had never taken his hive into danger unless he was sure the means justified the end. He also sensed that the scientist welcomed opportunities to talk and this conversation, if turned in the right direction, could provide some insights into this new commander they both now served under. "I'm not sure all who rise to lead a hive possess such a view."

The scientist smiled. "You refer to our current commander?"

"His understanding of leadership seems to lack some ... finesse."

The Wraith knew the scientist was deciding how to respond to such as question from one he had just met.

"You must understand that this civil war has changed much aboard this hive. Our commander, the one who led us for many centuries, was killed not long after the war began."

The Wraith looked into the memories the scientist was drawing on and realised that he had known this dead commander. They had served together, before and during the early part of the Lantean war although their paths had not crossed since. He listened carefully as the scientist continued.

"Our queen and second in command perished in the same engagement and our commander took the opportunity to seize control of the hive. But things have not been easy. He managed to negotiate an alliance that brought us a new queen but it has been a mixed blessing. She is flighty and immature and I suspect we only got her because no other would have her. He lacks the experience to handle her with the firm manner that would come naturally to an older, more experienced commander."

The Wraith smiled to himself – no wonder he was to be kept away from the queen. He fitted the bill of 'an older, more experienced commander' just a little too nicely for this new leader!

"With an inexperienced commander and a new queen we have no strong military reputation. The commander is not interested in science and several of our brightest scientists have found more attractive alliances elsewhere. Since these defections I have been starved of the resources needed to develop new technologies. So we have little to offer other hives and, as you would know better than I, commanders only want to become aligned with those they know will make them stronger."

The scientist fell silent and looked around to make sure he had not been overheard. Clearly, he felt he had said too much to this newcomer and the Wraith sensed that he should offer some words of reassurance.

"Do not be concerned, I have not forgotten the old conventions of trust and confidence and your words will not go beyond this room. Now, if you are ready you should explain what it is you wish me to do here."

The scientist nodded. "I have been told to give you only general maintenance work. Although I know there is much more you could do to help me, you understand that I must obey this command?"

The Wraith bowed his head in acknowledgement – he hadn't expected to be given important work – not yet anyway.

"You should go and rest now. I will expect you back when you are ready but do not take too long. The one who has been set to watch you is very efficient and he not miss an opportunity to criticise or humiliate you."

The Wraith turned to leave the laboratory and, unable to find his escort, he set off alone contemplating the reality of his situation as he went. His life was in the hands of an inexperienced commander with serious trust issues who had grabbed power when the opportunity arose but now had to deal with a situation that even a more experienced leader would find challenging. Still, at least the future looked better than it had just a few days ago when all he saw ahead were endless days in the cold, lonely confines of the Genii prison.

But he had to admit that any expectations he may have had about fitting easily back into society were now extinguished. The information he had acquired in just this short time back on the hive showed him that the society he had left was gone forever. Not only had things changed, they had changed in ways he would never have considered possible before his separation. He had to understand the full extent of these changes before he could adapt his own behaviour to fit in and prosper. He decided it would be in his best interests to follow the strategy he had used on his first hive – working hard, obeying orders without question and watching. Always watching – but this time he needed to look for very different things – tensions, weaknesses, relationships on the hive and, perhaps most importantly of all, more information about this war they were involved in and the humans who had caused it all.


	7. Chapter 7

The Wraith had always believed the scientific side of his nature made him more open to new ideas than if he were interested purely in military and political matters, but he was finding the current situation really challenged that belief. Certainly, he'd experienced change before – society had evolved during his lifetime but the process had been slow – guided by new ideas or technologies and a desire to develop and improve the environment in which they lived. As a race, Wraith had always been competitive but they had survived and prospered because that competitiveness was underpinned by principles of discipline, honour, trust and cooperation. What he faced now were not superficial changes – they went to the heart of these principles and the belief system by which he had lived his life and succeeded in the dual role of military commander and scientist. And they certainly weren't developing or improving any facet of their lives.

Things became more complex as he began to get a clearer understanding of how his imprisonment and close involvement with humans had changed elements of his personality and outlook. Some changes were obvious and simple, such as the violent hatred he now felt for the human group known as the Genii. Others were more subtle and would need further analysis, such as his relationship with the human they called Sheppard. If this human was indeed one of these 'new' Lanteans the Wraith had heard about then he was more than just a resource waiting to be culled. They had used each other to escape but the Wraith also suspected that this link between them could one day be beneficial to both him and his whole race. All he would have to do is make sure Sheppard knew such collaboration would be to his advantage too.

But he also realised he had learnt things about himself, and his race as a whole, that he could put to good use immediately. Especially when the insights he had gained provided him with knowledge and understanding that was unknown to others on this hive.

Despite having spent all his adult life on a hive, he knew he had never really understood how important this physical environment was to his overall health – until now. During those long years of imprisonment he had believed the total despair and desolation he felt was the result of being separated both physically and mentally from others of his kind. Of course, being kept on the edge of starvation, fed only when his captors had an enemy they wanted broken or when they realised they were dangerously close to losing their tool of torture, had also played a part.

But now he knew that while his race drew strength from their collective presence and took essential energy and nourishment from feeding on humans, the essence of the hive provided something very different. A unique form of energy that went much deeper than hunger – it went to the core of their being and drove all their instincts. It sustained their unassailable belief in their position as the highest beings in the galaxy, it defined their strict social and political systems and fed the ruthlessness and courage needed to face an enemy. It cultivated the determination and strength of character that placed those who aspired to lead above the majority who were happy to follow. It also helped in dealing with the females of the species.

So while imprisonment had nearly destroyed his will to survive, it had also given him special insights into the character and spirit of his own race. And once he understood this other energy, he started to draw on it more deeply as he settled back into society.

-oOo-

Gradually he began to relax as his young escort appeared less often and he began to move around the hive alone. He welcomed the freedom and began to recognise and engage with others as he carried out his duties. He was now able to keep his most personal thoughts for the time he spent in his quarters. This had always been the one place on the hive that was considered a private haven - a place where entering another's thoughts uninvited was a breach of etiquette that could, in the most severe cases, result in temporary banishment from the hive back to a Wraith planet. He had been pleased to discover that this was one of the few conventions that still held – although he never forgot that there was one, the commander's lapdog, who was watching him, physically and mentally, waiting for the mistake that could be used to destroy him. He knew that this watcher would not adhere to such a rule of privacy but the Wraith now felt more confident in his abilities to sense when his thoughts were being assailed and turn his mind to away to insignificant matters.

He sensed that there were others watching him too although not with the same intensity and dedication of purpose as the watcher. He had recognised the second in command when they first passed in a corridor. This one lacked the air of concentrated suspicion that infected the commander's behaviour – he was older and more experienced and the Wraith wondered what position he had held under the previous leadership regime. There were a number of others who he sensed held similar positions to his watcher – the need for so many to monitor the activities of others confirmed the heightened levels of distrust that abounded in the hive. The Wraith became aware that there were others on board who had also served in the Lantean war although he could not sense any, apart from his older escort from his first days on the hive, who had served on his hive. This former guardian showed no signs of recognition when they met and the Wraith was still uncertain if that declaration of support made when he entered the hive had been genuine or a ruse to trap him. He would know one day but at present it was not a high priority – first he needed to find out as much as he could about the hive.

-oOo-

So his life became a process of gathering information. At first it had to be done carefully without engaging too deeply with other minds. There was, after all, much to be learned from just watching what was going on around, such as finding out where he was in the galaxy.

As he became familiar with the paths this hive travelled, the human worlds that comprised its feeding grounds and the uninhabited worlds they patrolled, he knew he was in unknown territory. He had not travelled this part of the galaxy before – not even during the Lantean war when hives had moved well out of their traditional territories. This realisation meant that looking for anything, a word, a thought, a link, no matter how tenuous, that would reconnect him to his old hive was futile. From the moment he had realised they were not hibernating he had anticipated finding them. Knowing now that they were out there but out of reach in distant part of the galaxy filled him with a new sense of isolation. But it was something he just had to accept – he needed to focus his attention on things he could achieve and not allow himself to be distracted by things he could not change.

It was also quite easy to find out about the alliance to which the hive belonged – it was one of the issues uppermost on every mind that he encountered. He learnt that prior to the war this hive had led one of the strongest alliances in this part of the galaxy but had lost their place after the death of the previous queen and commander. Life had been difficult until their new commander had managed to get himself a queen and negotiate his way into this alliance. It comprised four hives and nine cruisers but only one of the cruisers was directly affiliated with this hive, a situation that put them at a strategic disadvantage when it came to discussing tactics. Only two of the hives had queens, something that would once have been quite unheard although, from what the Wraith could gather, it seemed that quite a number of hives now lack queens. In the loosely arranged alliances that had existed before and after the Lantean war there was always a primary queen, one who sat above the rest and made decisions that concerned the whole alliance. The age and experience of the other hive's queen made her the primary in this alliance.

Interestingly, the crew of this hive seemed to know more about this other queen that they did about their own – a situation that was both intriguing and disturbing. It was said that she had hair as black as the space through which they travelled, that she was taller than most queens, that she was proud and unbending and ruled her hive, and its commander, with an iron fist. The Wraith thought she sounded like every other queen who had ever crossed his path. He wondered why she had chosen to aligned her hive with another that carried a queen as inexperienced as theirs – he suspected some vague genetic connection but had no way to confirm this.

He had not been surprised to find out that meetings between alliance members could be tense affairs. The one meeting that had taken place since he joined the hive was with one of the hives that did not have a queen. It had been held to discuss arrangements for patrolling the uninhabited worlds under the alliance's control to make sure they were not being encroached upon by rival alliances – and it had not gone well. Their commander clearly believed that having a queen placed him in a superior bargaining position but the other was more experienced and refused to give way.

The Wraith had managed to find himself a place from which he could watch and listen but he had found it very difficult to stay in the background. As he cast his critical eye over both commanders he was not impressed. He saw both as relatively inexperienced and more concerned with their own prestige than with the safety of their hives. They lacked finesse in the way they carried out negotiations – their lack of trust made them careless and they also lacked the ability to assess each other's words and proposals with the forensic incisiveness that a more experienced commander would use. They seemed to know very little about the arts of bluffing, persuasion and manipulation. Inevitably, the meeting ended with both sides losing their tempers and storming back to their hives. Nothing was gained for the hive, but the Wraith gained further insights into the commander's character.

Contact with others from outside the alliance was rare and when it did occur, it inevitably ended in conflict although, to date, their hive had been able to strategically withdraw from these meetings before sustaining anything more than minor damage. The idea of a confrontation between two hives intrigued the Wraith. In his time as a commander he had never faced the problem of how to destroy another hive – indeed the very idea of such an engagement was totally alien. As he saw it, a battle between two hives was the type of engagement that could easily result in the destruction of both – something a good commander would once have considered an unacceptable risk. Although he had a reputation for taking risks and expecting loyalty without out question, he had never taken his hive into action against the Lanteans without carefully weighing up the strengths and weaknesses of his opponent. Only stupidity would have persuaded a commander to begin such an engagement without making sure he had the additional resources, such as cruisers, needed to secure victory. One thing was sure - he would never have taken on a Lantean warship on his own.

-oOo-

Other parts of his life were not as productive as the intelligence gathering. The work he was assigned proved to be every bit as tedious as he had anticipated. He spent most of his time maintaining the hive's hibernation pods, although he was hard pressed to see that they would be put to use in the immediate future.

The rotating system of active and hibernating hives had worked for thousands of years because it was based on trust and respect – traits that were now in very short supply both in this hive and throughout the galaxy. He knew there would be no more hibernating until this civil war was finished and yet allowing some to sleep, thereby reducing the pressure on their food supply, was to his mind the quickest and simplest way to end the war. But this was a very different political landscape to the one in which he had operated and he knew it was impossible to expect any queen and commander to volunteer their hive to hibernate in the current environment of suspicion and hostility.

He wondered if others could also see the futility of the war or if his ability to look at things from a different perspective was another benefit of his time away. To him the conflict represented a complete breakdown of the collective discipline that had underpinned Wraith society. Could others not see that they were effectively destroying this society, changing their way of life and, if the stories he had heard about these new humans were true, potentially jeopardising their position as masters of the galaxy? He knew the answer to this question even as he posed it to himself – the fact that so many commanders would risk their hives when they did not carry a queen showed that any long-term strategic plans were being completely swept aside to ensure short-term survival. What was needed was an alliance of hives so strong that others would not dare to challenge and he knew exactly how it could be done.

-oOo-

Working with the hive's scientists proved to be useful, particularly the connection he was developing with the chief scientist. The scientist had been starved of interaction with those he considered his equals in scientific endeavour and so welcomed the knowledge and experience his new worker brought to the laboratory. But for the Wraith it went deeper that a mere opportunity to gain information. In the scientist he found a kindred spirit who was also having difficulty coming to terms with the changes wrought by the civil war, someone he could come to like and respect, someone he could come to consider a brother. He sensed this feeling was mutual and it served both their needs to meet on a regular basis to discuss issues of shared interest.

So he tried to spend as much time as possible in the laboratories without arousing suspicion from other scientists and his watcher. It was not too difficult. Like his commander, his watcher did not see the value of science or scientists and so never bothered to follow the Wraith when he entered the labs. Life on the hive followed a cyclical pattern and some periods were much quieter than others. It was during these quieter times that the Wraith sought out the company of the scientist. At first their conversations were wide ranging and they spent a good deal of time discussing Lantean technology and the computer virus that had deactivated the attack code of the Lantean's artificial successors. Once he was confident that a bond of trust had been developed between them, the Wraith decided the time had come to seek involvement in more significant work.

"My work on the hibernation pods will soon be completed and, as I doubt we will be using them for considerable time, they will not require further work in the foreseeable future. What would you have me do next?"

The Wraith could sense the conflict in the scientist's mind as he considered his orders to keep this ex-commander away from any of the more substantial research work that was in progress. He had been expecting the work on the pods to take much longer – obviously he had seriously underestimated his helper's abilities.

"You know I have been told to give you only basic maintenance work to do. I know you can do much more but I will not risk the wrath of our commander by giving you anything he may consider useful to you." The scientist looked down at his clawed hands as he spoke, not wishing to look the Wraith in the eye.

"Do not hide behind this commander." The Wraith found himself irritated by the scientist's fear of disobeying their leader. "You know as well as I that he will only be happy if and when you provide him with something of significance, something that can help to increase his power."

The scientist did not respond so the Wraith continued, leaning closer and lowering his voice in a conspiratorial manner. "I could help you and I would allow you pass the work off as your own. I know you have the loyalty of the others who work here so you would not be betrayed by them. Neither the commander nor my watcher bother with us when we are in this lab so they would be none the wiser." He paused and stood up to his full height. "And it would probably be in your best interests to come up with something the commander could use sooner rather than later."

He knew this last comment had hit home – as he suspected the scientist and his team were under pressure to produce something the commander thought worthwhile. Prior to the civil war, alliances had collaborated on scientific research and the results of new technological breakthroughs had gradually spread throughout the galaxy. Now, even collaboration between alliance members was rare so each hive was left to manage as best they could. He already knew that this hive had lost its best scientists and much as he had come to respect this chief scientist, the Wraith did not consider him to be in the class of those who had made some of the biggest breakthroughs over the centuries.

Still the scientist did not answer. The Wraith walked over and placed his hands on one of the terminals trying to decide if the time had come to adopt a more forthright approach in this discussion. He decided it had.

When he finally spoke, his voice was cool and clinical. "Shall we stop playing games with each other? You know that I understand the strengths and weakness of this hive far better than you and your inexperienced commander so I will eventually find out what I need to know. You may like to consider if it would be in your best longer-term interests to help me." It was a risk – it could jeopardise the respect the two had come to share but he was certain the scientist would not betray him.

"I knew the stories I heard of you were true and I wondered how long it would be before you showed your hand.' The scientist pulled a wry smile. "You are, of course, right. With your help I could achieve some of the progress in our work that the commander is expecting. I may not be the most brilliant scientist but I am smart enough to understand that eventually you will sweep our commander aside and take his place. He still believes that he can control you and I will do nothing to change that view. But I will not give you my loyalty without your guarantee that when you succeed, I be rewarded for the risk I am going to take."

The Wraith nodded. "You have my word."

So not only not only did his work become more challenging, he had made the first move in his bid to regain power. He now had access to all the scientific research being done in order to give this hive an advantage, any advantage that could be used in the commander's bid for power. This work would still be used in a bid for power – it would just be a different commander.


	8. Chapter 8

The signs appeared gradually – a slight slowing of responses, an increased feeling of tiredness and, most noticeably, a heightened sensitivity in the nerve endings in his feeding hand. It was the most sensitive part of his body, even when he was fully fed. The Wraith slowly ran his fingers over the rim of his feeding slit and felt the warmth that accompanied the spontaneous release of enzyme this action precipitated. He closed his eyes and anticipated the intense feeling of fulfilment that would come from feeding as new energy and life flowed into every part of his body and mind.

It had been a long, long time since he had felt fully satisfied after a feed. For so long his feeding had taken place under extreme circumstances when he had been kept on the edge of absolute starvation. The only time he had taken his fill was when he fed on the Genii soldiers after his escape but then he had returned some of this energy to Sheppard. He remembered thinking, as he stood waiting to be picked up by a dart, that this feeding had not been enough to make up for the years of starvation. Yet when he joined the hive and began to settle into its patterns of life he had not felt an urgent need to feed. He now knew it had something to do with the energy he had absorbed from the hive itself but he wondered too if being kept in a constant state of hunger could have changed his physiology so that his body now used energy more efficiently. Certainly, the nourishment he had taken from the Genii had lasted longer than he had anticipated.

Feeding was his most basic instinct, something he had always done without much thought for anything but his own need to survive. While he had always been interested in what the human worshippers told him about their societies, this interest was based on curiosity rather than a desire to understand the creatures he depended on for life. He now knew from Sheppard that feeding was painful for humans but this was of little concern to him. So as he walked through the hive his mind was focussed solely on himself – he gave no thought to the human whose life he was about to take.

As a commander he and his queen had taken the strongest, healthiest humans but now he was just part of the crew there was no set procedure for feeding. He simply went to the cocoons and chose one to satisfy his needs. Less than a quarter of the cocoons were occupied meaning the hive would have to cull soon and, as usual at this point in the cycle, only the older humans were left meaning he would need to feed twice to get the energy he needed.

He pulled the first human from the cocoon and began to feed. He felt the enzyme release and closed his eyes and threw back his head as he felt the energy surge through his body. This one did not speak or cry out during the feeding but the Wraith could feel his defiance right up until the point when all energy was drained from his body. The Wraith threw the empty husk to one side – there were those on board who disposed of these things and he had never bothered to find out what that process involved.

He moved to the next pod and began the process again but this time the human did speak. She did not scream or struggle, she simply asked the Wraith to stop in a soft yet clear voice. He ignored her as he had always done. The same request had been made to him many times – indeed some had even died with that word on their lips. But he found he could not cast her plea aside as easily as he had done before and before he realised what he was doing, he looked down onto her face. He saw a round, soft face and eyes that that glistened with moisture as tears began to spill over the rims. But he also saw something that touched the very core of his being – he saw imprinted on that face the same desolation and wretchedness that he'd felt during his imprisonment when he was sure that his life would end in a lonely, painful death in a place that was so alien to everything he had enjoyed during that life. He closed his eyes and finished feeding but that face stayed with him as he walked away from what remained of the human cargo.

-oOo-

Sheppard had told him that there was much he did not know about humans. In reality he knew _his_ knowledge of humans was far greater than any of his kind – certainly far greater than Sheppard could ever have imagined.

He knew that some humans valued life above everything else and were prepared to betray their own people in order to receive the gift of life as subservient worshippers.

He knew that the rest of the galaxy's human population were united by a common hatred of Wraith. He had walked through human settlements and watched as some cowered before him in terror while others had hatred and defiance burnt so deeply into their beings that the smell of it almost subsumed the smell of fear.

He knew human reproduction was very different to Wraith reproduction and that human females would actually put their own lives at risk to protect the ones they called children, even when those children had grown to adults.

He had also heard that some Wraith had agreements with human societies that saw them provided with humans on a regular basis.

He knew that the humans known as the Genii were the crudest, most contemptible humans that existed in the galaxy. They were like no others he had met before and he wondered if their influence had also spread to this sector of the galaxy. They had been allowed to develop a relatively sophisticated level of technology, certainly well beyond that which Wraith had ever allowed on other human worlds. He wondered how they had managed to do this without raising suspicions – their capabilities had clearly been underestimated for far too long.

His capture and imprisonment had shown him a side of humans totally different to anything he had encountered before. At first he saw a military society, similar in many respects to his own, where the strong rose to leadership, some vied amongst themselves for positions that gave them some degree of power over others and the rest were happy to be led. But the longer he stayed in that wretched cell, being used as an instrument of torture and fear, the more he came to understand that this particular group of humans were capable of cruelty far worse than anything he had ever encountered amongst his own kind. They were prepared to torture and kill other humans to sometimes gain only the smallest piece of information, sometimes for no gain at all. Wraith, including him, had tortured captured Lanteans to gain information about strategy and technology that they could use in the war. But they never used torture on other Wraith – or at least they hadn't. As he thought of his watcher bragging about feeding on others, he wondered if torture of their own kind was yet another change this civil war had wrought on the world he had known.

And then there was Sheppard and his friends – a group of humans who would risk their lives to save one of their own and thought nothing of coming to a new galaxy and changing the balance of life. He was now sure that these were the humans who had been responsible for the actions that started the civil war. He knew he should share the intense disgust that others felt towards these intruders but his outlook was tempered by a feeling that his dealings with them were not yet at an end.

The Wraith knew that these humans had withstood all attempts by his race to destroy them. He had picked up many stories about their activities in the galaxy. While there was now much suspicion among Wraith, stories of a common enemy still managed to spread through the galaxy using the old lines of communication. Stories about the home world from which these new humans came that described a feeding ground so rich Wraith would never have to conserve their human resources again; about the help they gave to human worlds after a culling; about the way they had helped a race of humans to develop a poison that was rumoured to be lethal to Wraith and about a Wraith who had been turned into a human before returning to his natural state. This pathetic creature had then become part of a plot to deceive the humans in an attempt to reach this fertile home world but the hives involved had been hunted down and destroyed.

He did not know how many of these stories could be believed – but if just a small part of what he had heard was true it made Sheppard's humans a very dangerous enemy. He had certainly sensed danger when Sheppard's friends had arrived to rescue him. Their uniforms and weapons told the Wraith they were a military society. He could sense that some amongst them were from this galaxy, including a Satedan who made no attempt to hide his hatred and the fact that he wanted the Wraith dead. One thing was clear – these troublesome interlopers possessed the will to destroy his race and they perhaps also held the power to achieve this aim. By inadvertently starting this civil war they may well succeed where the Lanteans had failed.

Once he gained some understanding of these humans he began to realise how useful his relationship with Sheppard could be – he just needed to know how to manage it properly. During their escape he had been forced to trust Sheppard – something that was totally alien to his nature. He had never needed to trust any human before and it had not been an easy thing to do. But Sheppard had said they needed each other and now they were both free. He had given Sheppard back his life and for the Wraith this had created a bond between them. He wasn't sure how this bond would affect Sheppard – he had only ever given the gift of life to worshippers and other Wraith, those that he respected enough to call brothers, on the rare occasions they had sustained injuries that their own natural healing could not repair. But Sheppard had allowed him to go free despite the Satedan's desire to see him dead. To the Wraith this indicated that there was something between them that he could build upon if the need arose.

-oOo-

As he went about his work on the hive, the Wraith realised that he'd forgotten how much better he felt after a full feed. His reflexes were sharper, his eyesight was stronger and his sense of smell was heightened to a level he'd not experienced for many years. The level of satisfaction he'd felt when he stood back on the hive after being rescued dimmed compared to the intensity of what he felt now. Everything about the hive was magnified – the colours, the smells, the energy, the very essence that nurtured and protected him. The one thing that was not enhanced was a connection with the young queen. Ultimately she was the key to his plans – his success would depend on his ability to get her support. While he had made his first moves to regain his lost power, he knew it was still too early and dangerous to search too deeply to find this female. He had plenty of time. But still he was surprised that there were so few signs she was melding with the hive in the way he would have expected.

-oOo-

The worshipper was silent as she removed his coat and shirt and then pushed forward the seat she wished him to use. He sank down willingly and she began massaging and kneading the knots of tension that twisted the muscles of his neck, shoulders and upper back. The work he was now doing for the chief scientist involved many hours bent before a terminal reading and revising computer coding – a position that had always left him feeling tense and snappy. The worshipper did her work well though and he relaxed quickly as a sense of calm spread down through his arms and body.

He had developed an attachment to this worshipper – she was the one who was brought to him when he first joined the hive and had become his constant helper since then. A bond of trust was growing between them although he had never troubled her with questions about her past. He knew she had come to the hive willingly but had not been interested enough to find out more. Not until now when the face of the human female he had fed upon still haunted him and drove him to seek more information.

"Why did you become a worshipper?"

He felt the rhythm of her hands slow momentarily and sensed that his question had surprised her. She did not answer immediately but when she did her voice was clear and calm. "I heard stories of worshippers when I was young – I did not understand how they could leave their own people to join those I had been taught to see as evil beings who took our lives without pity or mercy. But when my village was culled I realised that I did not want to die, I wanted to live and so volunteered myself to serve your hive."

"Do you still see us as evil and merciless?"

This time she stopped working and came to stand in front of him. "Master, I have never been asked questions such as these before – will you punish me if I speak the true to you or do you wish me to say what I believe you want to hear?"

"You have much to learn about me – I do not waste my time talking of things that do not interest me. I would not have asked you this question if I did not want a truthful answer." He hoped the tone of his voice would put her at ease so she would answer his questions without fear.

"Then I shall trust you. There are some on this hive who are brutal in their attitude towards us. There are others who see no use for us. The remainder use our services and do not mistreat us."

"And which group am I in?" The Wraith thought he knew the answer to this question but asked it anyway.

"You, master? You're different – you're amongst the few who treat us with any degree of kindness."

Eyes narrowed, he stood up and looked down into her face intensely. "I have never before been accused of kindness and I do not find such an appraisal flattering."

The worshipper bowed her head respectfully. "Forgive me master, I did not mean any disrespect. There are some others who seem to behave like you and they are all older too, it is as if you have seen more of life against which to frame your views of us." She raised her head and looked straight into his eyes. "I just know that you are like no other I have ever served. It is almost as if you can understand part of my life – I don't know how this can be but this is how it seems."

He ran the back of his clawed hand slowly across her cheek. She had given him more undeniable proof that his way of looking at so many things was now irrevocably changed. He could no longer dismiss these human creatures as just a source of energy. Despite all he had learnt about them in the centuries before his capture he had not really understood them. Now he had looked into the very heart of one who was about to die and had seen the same thoughts and fears that had tortured him as he faced death in that loathsome prison cell. He had said Sheppard was more like Wraith than he knew. He smiled wryly – it now appeared that _he_ was more like humans that he knew!

Of course all this meant he was faced with yet another problem. He quickly recognised that his heightened understanding of humans would be very useful at the appropriate time. But others would not be so generous – they would see it as weakness and the last thing he needed now was to be seen as anything but strong and determined. He sighed as his worshipper helped him back into his clothes – here was another thing he must keep locked away in his mind. It really was becoming very tiresome.

-oOo-

The hive slowed and began the tight, slow orbit that signalled they had arrived at one of their feeding grounds. The Wraith wondered what part, if any, he would be assigned to play in this cull. Would the commander send him down to the planet in the hope that this potential rival might be lost again? Would he even go so far as to arrange for such a mishap to take place? The Wraith knew he would if their places were reversed.

He sensed his watcher reaching out to him and decided to stay where he was and let the other come to him. He did not have long to wait. "The commander wants you." The watcher was gone as quickly as he arrived and the Wraith was left to make his own way to the commander's quarters. He found the door guarded by three warriors who moved aside quickly to let him pass. This time he did not wait for the commander to initiate the link between them. "Commander, how can I be of assistance?"

If the commander was annoyed by this display of forwardness he did not show it. "You will join the others who have been overseeing the culling. The humans of this world have strong trading links with other worlds. I want to know what the leaders of this settlement know about the inhabitants of the old city of the Lanteans. Of all on board my hive you are best qualified to do this job. Do you think yourself capable of such a simple task without getting lost?"

As before the Commander's words were fully of hostility and the Wraith did not answer.

"Do not deceive yourself that I have given you this task because I trust you. I heard that you were well-practiced in getting information from Lanteans during the war so you will have no trouble getting the information I seek."

-oOo-

Wraith were not concerned if it was light or dark – they could sense things equally as well in either environment. But after so many centuries of managing this essential resource, they knew how human communities organised their lives to match the rhythm of the sun and culling always began during the dark hours when humans were at their most vulnerable. The sun was still low in the sky as he was put down in the centre of the settlement and the main part of the cull was complete. He knew that the cocoons would be receiving their new cargo and any that had chosen to become worshippers would be beginning the processes that would bind them to their new masters. The increasing warmth of the sun on his back took him back momentarily to the last time he had seen daylight – on that unknown world when he waited to see if Sheppard would allow him to live.

The cull leader was calling him over to a large stone building that sat on one side of what was obviously the settlement's main square. The Wraith walked across feeling the eyes of every human who remained in the settlement fixed firmly on him – it was a large settlement so there were many eyes. He smiled. It was refreshing and reassuring to know that his presence alone still had the power to invoke fear – it went some way to soothing the humiliation of his last interactions with humans. He communicated telepathically with the leader as he neared the building.

"These are the leaders of this settlement?" He saw the leader nod. "Have any of those close to them been taken?"

"No, we have taken enough."

"Ummm – good." He nodded in return.

Before entering the room, he stood just outside the door surveying its contents and inhabitants. It was obviously some type of meeting hall. Rows of seats faced a long table at which four humans, three males and one female, now sat. They were being guarded by three warriors and a male with a bored look on his face who stood to one side looking out of a window – the Wraith recognised him as one of the commander's inner circle of supporters. His job was done and he clearly wanted to be back on the hive as quickly as possible.

They all looked towards the door as the Wraith entered the room speaking with a strong voice that bordered on a growl. It was important to assert his position as the one leading the questioning of these humans. It was also important that he was the keeper of any information these humans might provide. He spoke aloud to make sure the humans understood his authority but his words were for the other male. "I do not require your assistance. Leave us."

He knew the male would not accede to this course of action, but the Wraith did not give him chance to express a view. As usual he had the advantage of being taller and bigger than the other and as usual he used this to full effect.

"Unless you can help, which I doubt, you will wait outside. Do not make me tell you again."

The male hissed as he walked out with the three warriors and the Wraith walked over and took the place by the window. He looked over at the humans seated at the long table. They were not looking at him and it was clear they did not know why they had been brought here. The Wraith decided to start with a conciliatory approach. "I will not harm you. I seek information about other humans – humans who are strangers to this galaxy so you need not feel you are betraying your own by telling me what you know of them."

The humans still did not look his way and none spoke. The Wraith walked slowly across the front of the table probing the minds of the four sitting there. He found the hook he was looking for in the mind of the female. He stopped before her, resting his hands on the table.

"However, it would be in the interests of your 'families' to cooperate with my request." He uttered the word 'families' in a soft tone that nevertheless carried an explicit overtone of threat.

She looked up and he saw the fear rising in her eyes. He could also sense the conflict in her mind – he blocked out the minds of the males and focused his attention on her alone.

"Your daughter would make a fine worshipper and you would have the pride of knowing she would be serving those who would appreciate her talents to the fullest."

She glanced quickly at her male companions who all had their heads bowed. He knew they were not strong enough to offer any resistance here. When he had left they would place all blame on this woman for submitting so easily but that was not his concern. This was easier than he had anticipated and on one level he was disappointed. Memories of his Genii captors flashed through his mind and he realised that part of him had looked forward to using some harsher methods to extract information.

The woman spoke with a strong voice and he understood how she had come to be one of the leaders of this settlement. "We have met these humans only once when they sought to trade with us. We had nothing of value to offer so we have not had further contact with them. We know they live in the city of the Lanteans and use their technology. We have heard that they have been beset by an enemy who had kept to their own world for many years. An artificial people who look like humans but are made up of something I do not understand. We heard recently that this enemy had captured the Lantean city but were defeated when the humans retook the city. That is all the information I can give you."

The Wraith knew she was speaking the truth and left the room without a backward glance.

He had to admit feeling a strong sense of satisfaction that Sheppard and his humans were battling an enemy that sounded very much like the beings left behind by the Lanteans – an enemy Wraith had overcome so many centuries ago. Yet again these humans had blundered onto an unknown world and created problems but this time they had to deal with those problems themselves. The commander would probably be satisfied with this information and the Wraith sensed the situation may, in time, offer an opportunity for him to use his relationship with these humans to his further his own interests. All he had to do was watch and wait.


	9. Chapter 9

The cull was complete; the commander had been moderately satisfied with the intelligence collected from the human settlement and the Wraith was further consolidating his position on the hive. He was now completely in tune with the organic rhythms and health of the ship and could sense the slightest change in temperature, speed and direction as they moved on their relentless journey though space. He was also blending in with the rest of the crew – he was no longer treated as an outsider and the minds he met as he moved around were more open to engagement and less guarded about their responses. The concentrated air of suspicion that had disturbed him so deeply on arrival was still palpable but it no longer held the power to impinge on his senses with such intensity. He was becoming more adept at evading his watcher, although he suspected that the level of intense scrutiny he had initially endured was also starting to subside. He did not for one minute think he had gained the commander's trust, rather he was being seen to have settled into his new position and had not caused any trouble or shown any ambition. Accordingly, he was gradually being seen as less of a threat – and that was exactly how he wanted things to be.

The hive was now travelling along the outer reaches of the galaxy and he stood at a large portal looking out into the vast darkness of space. His connection to the celestial world went back to his youth on his home world and his coming of age when he had taken the distinctive starburst tattoo as his life-long motif. He had always been fascinated by this cold, dark, hostile environment that was such a contrast to the organic warmth that flowed around him in the hive. He looked out thoughtfully on the unfamiliar star systems of this part of the galaxy. Before his capture he had been satisfied with life and the world in which his hive had travelled – now he had moved outside that familiar zone he wondered what other surprises or mysteries might be hiding out there. While Wraith had a strong interest in science it had always been focused on new or improved technology – they had never sought to look beyond this galaxy in which they had such a powerful presence. But the knowledge that Sheppard's humans had come from such a rich home world in another galaxy triggered many questions in his scientific mind. How far did this black void stretch? How many other galaxies did it hold? Did other life forms exist in other galaxies that could be far different from those that existed here? Were there other types of life out there that could satisfy their feeding requirements?

But as he stood there contemplating the outside world, he knew that by far the biggest mystery was right here on this hive. Even though he was in tune with its rhythms, there was one element that remained almost completely hidden from him. This was unfortunate because she would eventually hold the key to his future.

-oOo-

Although he had sensed the queen's presence the moment he arrived on the hive, she now came to him only through fleeting glimpses that he knew touched his mind because of his experience in communicating with his own queen. He was certain that others could not sense this ephemeral connection – indeed, if either the commander or the watcher became aware of it they would kill him instantly, no questions asked. He also felt sure that the queen herself would not have the experience to recognise the link between them – she would probably sense his presence only as a strong mind that she touched upon without understanding why.

Unfortunately these glimpses were not providing any insights to her thoughts, her moods, or her general demeanour and he was finding the whole situation quite disconcerting. Queens were by nature aloof, unsociable beings who generally shunned the company of others, with the exception of their commanders, unless really necessary. But they knew instinctively that projecting their presence around the hive, either telepathically or physically, was crucial to maintaining collective discipline and order. Every member of crew had to be made aware of the power she possessed and the control she held over their lives. In his experience it was only the more mature queens who saw the benefit in making their physical presence known by moving regularly around the hive – most relied on the telepathic link. So, even though she was young and inexperienced, this one should be doing something. She would know she had the power to enter the minds of all on board in a way that none could resist. And yet she chose not to project herself out among the crew – initially he could not understand why but the longer he spent on the hive the clearer the situation had become.

Each queen had her own unique style of leadership that developed as they matured. The tight control the commander was currently exerting over this queen was unnatural and was stymieing this development – eventually she would rebel and when she did the Wraith predicted it could be dangerous for them all. Even in normal situations, young queens lusted after the absolute power their older, more experienced sisters exerted and could sometimes be motivated to take extraordinary risks to achieve this power. Should this queen decide that she needed to demonstrate her authority through a show of strength, such as perhaps attacking a rival hive, he was not sure the commander would be strong enough to deflect her from such a course of action.

He knew he was not alone in his concerns. At first he thought he was imagining it, but gradually the concerns of others crystallised into something stronger – something that matched his own thoughts about what was going on between the queen and the commander. Finally it reached a point where he knew he must talk to someone about what was happening. There was however a big different between being accepted into the hive and finding someone he could trust, someone who would not betray his confidences to further their own cause. The chief scientist would be of little use – like most scientists he freely admitted his lack of interest in hive politics and his grasp of anything that happened outside the laboratories was limited.

There was only one course of action open to him – it was time to approach the older of the two males who had acted as his escorts when he arrived on the hive. He knew there were risks involved – he was still unsure what had prompted the escort to come out and declare his support for any move against the commander. But he wouldn't find the answer by continuing to ignore the escort – he needed to develop a connection that would allow him to decide just how far this one could be trusted.

-oOo-

He began by reaching out telepathically. The next few times he met the escort around the hive he opened his mind and acknowledged the other's presence. It did not take long to get the desired response. He was back in his quarters after spending long hours working on the hive's fleet of darts under the pretence of checking their beaming technology. In reality he was taking some readings for the work being done on enhancing the dart's power supply. It was tedious work but at least it got him away from the endless checking of computer codes. He had just sat down when he sensed the escort's presence outside the door. As before the visitor waited for an invitation before he entered the room. The door closed silently and the Wraith rose to his feet in order to seize control of the conversation.

"Commander," the escort bowed his head in respect and spoke softly rather than engaging telepathically, "you require my help?"

"Do not call me that – it would be dangerous for us both if others were to sense you thought of me as such." The Wraith responded with a spark of anger in his voice to emphasise the risk of such a situation but let this fade as he continued. "No, I do not require help ... but I am aware that I may have dismissed you too harshly the last time we met. I have become aware that you are respected by many as one of great knowledge and experience." He paused for a minute to let the other consider his words. "I may have misjudged you."

The escort smiled. "I appreciate your words. There are some on this hive who are older – some like you who recall the time before Lantean war. We have experience and knowledge far greater than those who now lead but we are not asked to share this knowledge."

The edge of bitterness in the escort's voice told the Wraith that the hive carried a group of disgruntled males who felt they were being slighted by the new leadership. He was impressed – he had not sensed this disharmony which meant they were able to keep their feelings well hidden. He would expect nothing less from ones with such experience and it was valuable information for a schemer who one day may wish to share sensitive plans.

But before he could respond, the escort spoke again. "I know it was ill-advised of me to speak as I did when we first met. But this hive had become ... difficult after this new queen arrived. There were some who believed they recognised you when you arrived and saw you as cause to hope that something could change. I was charged with confirming your identity and I managed to get myself assigned as one of your escorts. Your response to my declaration of support was as we had expected. Now, you still may not trust me but I can assure you I have little time for this new commander. He seized power at a time of great confusion when we had lost those we'd followed for thousands of years. Since then he has done nothing to gain respect – many see him as an upstart who retains power through the brutality of his supporters."

The Wraith looked closely at the one who stood before him but could not detect any deception or dissembling. He knew if he was to develop a connection with this one he must use a different approach to the one he used with the chief scientist. This one was experienced in military and political manoeuvring – he would have weighed up the risks involved in speaking his mind so freely and decided to place his trust in his former commander despite the way he had been dismissed previously.

"I must admit I did not expect such honesty to come so freely – and I believe you _are_ being honest with me. So I will be honest with you in return. I have sensed some concerns around this hive that match my own – I need to know how far these concerns have spread." The escort bowed his head in acknowledgement as the Wraith continued. "The relationship I see between the queen and her commander is ... unnatural and I have grave doubts about how it will develop. She does not move through the hive and I have not sensed her presence since I came aboard. Certainly there was no sign of her when we had that unfortunate meeting with the other alliance commander about patrolling our uninhabited worlds – a meeting in which she should have played a prominent part. Is this how it has been since she arrived?"

"Yes, she arrived unannounced. We could all sense her inexperience and immaturity and she has not moved from her throne room since. We knew nothing of the negotiations the commander undertook to gain her. Some have even begun to doubt that she exists. You know better than I how the relationship between her and the commander should develop but I agree the level of control he is trying to exert over her is unnatural – and dangerous."

"Is he being advised by any?"

The escort laughed disparagingly. "None with any more experience than he. As I said before those of us with the knowledge and experience of the centuries are not part of this new leadership group."

"Why did none challenge his takeover of power? You had lost your leaders – why did none of you with experience and seniority act immediately to take command?" These were issues peripheral to the information the Wraith was seeking but they did concern him. If he were to challenge this commander at some point he would need followers who would stand by him, not fade away at the first sign of trouble.

"Oh, we did not just stand by and let him take over – he was challenged but he quickly won support from those who saw in him their only chance to rise above the mediocrity to which they would otherwise be condemned. The one who watches you is one of this group. The few who stood up and challenged were dealt with quickly and cruelly – to our dishonour, the rest of us stood by silently while they were punished. The civil has created levels of distrust and suspicion that permeate our society. But on this hive the situation is exacerbated by a leadership group that hold power without popular support – this is why we were so pleased when I was able to confirm your identity."

"What do think the queen will do when she finally decides to assert her authority?"

The escort shook his head. "I have not given much thought to that – you are in a better position to know how the mind of a queen works?"

This time the Wraith laughed – the first time he had laughed out loud in a long, long time. "You overestimate my abilities and experience if you believe that I understand how a queen's mind works. But I am sure she will rebel eventually and when she does she may well do something that will place the hive and all our lives at risk. You told me that this civil war has seen hives prey on other hives – I would not be surprised if she should prove herself capable of ordering something like this."

"I agree – that is why your presence on this hive is so important."

The Wraith nodded his head slowly and gave a long grunt of approval. "You should return to your duties now before your absence raises suspicions."

The escort turned to leave but the Wraith stopped him before he reached the door. "Wait ... perhaps you can be of help to me. I need to be aware of what my watcher does and where he spends most of his time." The escort did not respond but the Wraith knew a network would soon be in place to watch his watcher.

He was silent as his visitor left. This conversation had proven far more useful than he had anticipated. Not only had he confirmed that others shared all his concerns about the queen, he had also gained some insights on the level of support on which he could build his ambitions. He knew that discontent was being bred aboard this hive but was being hidden from an edgy leadership group by other phantom menaces they conjured up themselves. He smiled his little smile of self-satisfaction at the irony of the situation – the level of distrust on the hive that had caused him so much disquiet may now prove to be one of his main allies as he began to weave his plans.

-oOo-

The throne room and adjoining quarters were located in the centre of the hive. Like the laboratories, there was a strategic reason for this location – in a battle situation the queen was safe from danger unless the hive itself was destroyed. But it also had a more practical application – she could exert her strong telepathic influence evenly through all parts of the ship when she had something of importance to convey to the whole crew. No one was ever left in any doubt over what the queen wanted of them or when she was annoyed.

With his confidence buoyed by the conversation with his former escort, the Wraith decided the time had come to take some initiative. So based on his belief that the biggest gains come from taking the most risk, he decided to see if he could breach the boundaries that had been placed around this queen.

He waited for the optimum time – when movement around the hive was at its quietest and he knew through his new network that his watcher was away in the outer reaches of the hive. He encountered few others as he moved silently through the shadows, making his way deeper into the heart of the ship. His watcher would be alert to his movements quite quickly but that was part of the risk he was prepared to take. He kept his telepathic abilities under a tight rein and hoped this would reduce the chance of the watcher finding him before he had completed this mission. As he neared his destination, he realised how much he was missing the thrill and demands that come hand-in-hand with leadership and the associated dealings with the queen.

He found the entrance to the queen's chambers heavily guarded by warriors. He was not surprised even though it was not usual practice on any of the hives on which he had ever served – he smiled at the thought of how his queen would have reacted if he had ever tried to practice a similar level of vigilance around her. But this hive was different. He decided that on this occasion nothing more would be gained by trying to challenge them – he had achieved his purpose of getting close to the queen and that would do for now. All he had to do was make it his way back to his own quarters.

He turned to retrace his steps – and found himself looking straight into the eyes of his watcher.

"You were told not to approach the queen," the watcher smiled and his voiced deepened into a self-satisfied purr, "and you were warned what your punishment would be if you tried. I told you I would wait for your own arrogance to be your undoing and you have not disappointed me."

The Wraith did not return the smile. "You are mistaken." He was angry that he had allowed this one to get so close – he knew how it had happened and he would not let it happen again.

"Mistaken?" The watcher laughed – it was an unpleasant sound that lacked any trace of humour and became a snarl as he continued. "_Mistaken_? I find you outside our queen's quarters, a place you were warned to stay away from ... explain to me how can I be mistaken?"

The Wraith did not jump to explain himself immediately – he followed his usual strategy of looking to take control of the conversation. "Because, you base your judgments on only what you see. You are unable to look beyond what your eyes tell you and so you are unable to look for the reason behind the action." The Wraith stepped closer to the watcher and used every inch of his imposing physical presence to intimidate. "I had been given the task of maintaining the hibernation pods. If you were doing your job properly you would know that. You would also know that while I have finished this work, the chief scientist realised that there was one we had missed. We did not think it wise to neglect the queen's pod which, as you may know, is in her chamber."

"Do you expect me to believe such a story?"

"You may believe what you like." This time it was the Wraith who smiled. He could sense the seeds of doubt he had cast in this watcher's mind during their last meeting – it was time to cultivate them further. "I'm sure our commander would be interested to know that I had got this close to her before you noticed me. If I were armed, I could have killed those warriors and entered the queen's chamber before you even knew I was here. Do you think he would be pleased with your performance?"

His words hit their mark as he knew they would. The antagonists stood looking directly into the others' eyes for several minutes neither prepared to step back. It was the watcher who eventually withdrew. He growled harshly at the Wraith before moving off in the direction of the queen's quarters and throwing a final threat over his shoulder. "If I find you here again, I will kill you."

The Wraith relaxed as he made his way back to his quarters. He knew the watcher would not pass any information about their meeting on to the commander - he was a coward who would not do anything that might threaten to his own position. Another round had gone the Wraith's way although he could not risk further activity until the other's suspicions had subsided. But as he entered his quarters and sank down on the meditation couch, he realised he had to come to terms with the issue that had clouded his mind and allowed the watcher to take him by surprise.

-oOo-

The truth was that walking through those familiar corridors and the strong female scent that pervaded the area outside the queen's quarters had triggered memories that he had, until now, managed to keep hidden in the furthest reaches of his mind. Not because they were unwanted memories, quite the opposite. They were full of one who had shared his life for thousands of years, one he found both exciting and intimidating at the same time, perhaps the only living creature in this galaxy for whom he would be prepared to sacrifice his life – the one he still thought of as _his_ queen.

They had been together since he took command of the hive during the Lantean war and she had so readily given her nod of approval to his ascension to the leadership. They had developed strong bonds of leadership that had taken her to the position of primary queen of their loose alliance while he became one of the most respected commanders in their part of the galaxy. Their relationship had many facets – he carried out her orders and watched for her safety, especially when they met with their opposite numbers from other hives. He missed the mental sparring that was a significant part of their relationship. She knew as well as he that a queen's role is more difficult if her commander does not have the strength of character, and bravery, to assess her decisions critically and raise concerns when needed. So while he usually deferred to her decisions, he never thought of himself as her subordinate, rather they worked as a team to control the hive. She had a good mind for political intrigue and knew how to manipulate situations to benefit their hive. Like all queens she expected to be obeyed without question but over time he had worked out how to plant small ideas in her mind knowing that she would eventually come to claim the results as her own.

He found her physically alluring too. She was as tall as he; making her taller than most queens and many males. She had long silver hair and a small tattoo above her right eye. She wore long black leather robes that set off the opaque pallor of her skin and the tight, slim lines of her body. He missed the physical closeness they shared when it became necessary to produce the genetic material essential to the reproductive process. He closed his eyes and thought of the softness of her skin, the delicious scent of her body and the sensations that spread across his skin as she traced her fingers over his starburst tattoo. The demands of reproduction had fallen after the Lantean war and their interactions had become less frequent but just as enjoyable.

He was brought back to reality by the realisation that if his ultimate plans were successful he would have to form the same type of relationship with the young queen of this hive. A flighty young female who was a mystery to all but a small number of the crew and was under the control of a commander whose lack of experience matched her own. He thought again of the poise and experience of his former queen and shook his head – some sacrifices of leadership were much harder to bear than others.

-oOo-

Interestingly, the Wraith realised that although his quest to find information about the queen was no further on, he was starting to understand the young commander and the challenges he was facing. It was highly unusual for a hive to have both an inexperienced new queen and an equally inexperienced new commander at the same time. This new leader had not been favoured by either the previous commander or the second-in-command so he effectively lacked the backing of a strong base of supporters. The support he had was based on brutality and the Wraith knew from experience that brutality often masked fear and weakness. With the death of the old leadership group, this young one had seen an opportunity and seized it without properly understanding what the responsibilities of leadership would entail. He had managed to hang on that leadership by winning a young queen but she could not provide him with the experience and support older queens always shared when they had to develop a relationship with a new commander. The Wraith knew only too well from his own experience how critical this support was when taking over command of a hive. So while part of him grudgingly admired the courage this young commander had shown, his admiration was tempered by the fact that he believed the other had behaved foolishly and so deserved the problems he was now facing.

The Wraith knew there would never be any trust between them – which was a shame because he was sure that under his guidance this raw young leader, despite his current shortcomings, could become an effective commander. But he was also sure that when the opportunity arose, he would have no hesitation cutting this young one down and seizing his prize.

For now though he would continuing blending in with the rest and see how things developed in this conflict between Sheppard's humans and the artificial humans. He had got the better of his watcher on the two occasions they had faced each other but he knew the situation could change next time. He would not sacrifice his long-term future for the immediate enjoyment of outwitting one for whom he had no respect. In truth, although it was now easier to keep his mind closed to unwanted intrusions, he was tiring of the need to be constantly alert to everything around him. Always the master of strategic necessity, he decided that he was not in any particular hurry; that it would be in his best interests to take some time to continue to consolidate the relationships and position he had already developed.


	10. Chapter 10

The lone dart banked sharply before swooping down for another long, low pass across the surface of this barren world. It was one of a group of darts doing a survey of the whole planet to make sure that some rival alliance had not set up an outpost in this inhospitable environment. Anyone who'd been watching since it arrived on the planet would have been intrigued by the manoeuvres it was performing. This was a planet of many different terrains – tall rugged mountains thrust up from the surface like giant spires of bare black rock, long flat plains dotted only with the occasional trees and huge sand dunes that were devoid of any form of life. The dart's flight path alternately skimmed around the contours of these sand dunes and flew dangerously close to the steep walls of the narrow passes that wove through the mountains. The pilot was obviously experienced – he was also taking some amazing risks as he pushed both his craft and his own skills to the limit. Many would find it uncomfortable, many would say it was reckless – the Wraith was just enjoying himself!

It was his first time back behind the controls of a dart and he had the chief scientist to thank for the opportunity. This particular dart had been fitted with some minor refinements to its guidance systems. The scientist had suggested using his laboratory assistant as the test pilot on the basis that in the case of mishap, his loss would be less critical than the loss of one of their more accomplished pilots.

The Wraith may not have flown for many years but the pre-flight procedures were embedded in his mind – clearing the imprint of the previous pilot from the craft's data banks and then allowing his own unique profile to be absorbed.

After some initial caution as he negotiated his way out of the hive's docking bays - the dart's quick, smooth response to his thoughts and touch became as familiar, and as invigorating, as ever. He had expected his piloting skills would be rusty but any caution was forgotten as he flew down from the orbiting hive leaving the other darts in his wake. Each pilot had been assigned their own sector of the planet to survey and the coordinates were pre-programmed into their dart's control system. He spent some time testing the guidance system and then took off to enjoy himself safe in the knowledge that the other darts were busy in their own survey areas. If challenged he could always pass off some of his more exuberant flying as a malfunction of the new system that he had barely managed to counter.

The Wraith had feigned gratitude at being considered for such a job but in reality it had been his idea. He really just wanted to get off the hive and savour the sense of absolute freedom and disconnection from everything, bar his dart, that flying provided. He also wanted to get away from the routine that now controlled his life.

Waiting, watching and learning about the hive had been exciting when he was a young adult on his first hive but now he had to admit it was becoming tedious. He just couldn't forget the energy and sheer power that came from commanding a hive. He had once led an alliance of hives in a war against an enemy whose skill and technology had exceeded their own, he had helped to defeat an enemy that had fought with a cold, determined sense of purpose that matched their own and he had commanded a crew he had considered one of the best in the galaxy. Now he was a laboratory assistant, one who was not in favour with the hive's leadership group, an underling lost among a crew of hundreds. Of course, this was his choice but on a day-to-day basis it was increasingly difficult, increasingly boring. He was looking for some excitement that did not involve political manipulation – and he found it flying this dart.

-oOo-

The flight was his first off-hive experience since he had visited the human settlement after the cull. Most of his time was now spent either back in the laboratory checking computer code or having the resulting knots massaged out of his neck and shoulders by his worshipper.

Still this work had allowed him to investigate something he sensed may be of importance in the future, especially in light of the information he got from the human female. He wanted to know if the original computer virus they'd used to nullify the attack of the artificial humans was still sitting in the hive's computer banks. It had been distributed to each hive in the galaxy as a precaution in the outside chance that the artificial creatures were ever able to rewrite their own code and reactivate the attack directive. He knew this had been done because he had overseen it. Although this hive had not been grown until after the war he knew the virus would have been loaded as part of the standard operating system. Sure enough it was still there. He then spent whatever time he could unobtrusively scanning the code to make sure no corruptions had occurred.

While the artificial humans had not shown aggression towards Wraith since the virus had been deployed, he had lived long enough to know that situations can and do change without warning. These creatures were active again, albeit they were focused on new adversaries, but they were essentially machines and their thought patterns were not open to lateral, deductive thinking. He had worked on developing this virus and he knew how difficult it had been to deploy it throughout the galaxy. If for any reason the virus ceased to do its job, these creatures would be single minded in their renewed vigour to destroy Wraith. Someone on the hive needed to remember this – it did not appear to be concerning the minds of the leadership group.

-oOo-

The news he'd brought back from the culled planet about the difficulties between the new inhabitants of the Lantean city and the artificial humans had triggered some action by their alliance. The primary queen dispatched a worshipper to travel around the galaxy in the guise of a trader. This could be a dangerous job for worshippers – they were regarded with loathing in the human communities they were sent to infiltrate. If their true identity was discovered, their fate was sealed quickly and inevitability at the hands of humans who did not share their affiliation with Wraith. Interestingly, the worshipper was from their hive and seemed particularly adept at his job – his information was considered to be as accurate as they were likely to get.

Like the majority of the males on the hive the Wraith was excluded from the worshipper's formal meetings with the hive commanders but information quickly spread through the hive anyway. Apparently the humans referred to these artificial beings as 'Replicators' – a name he considered quite appropriate.

The worshipper had learnt that while the Lanteans had created these artificial beings to help destroy Wraith, they had then tried to destroy their protégées when they became too unpredictable. Not surprisingly the Replicators had resented this move but they had been programmed not to attack the Lanteans so they were unable to exact any type of revenge. When they met Sheppard's humans, they had apparently seen them as the Lantean's natural successors and transferred their latent animosity to these 'new' Lanteans.

The Wraith found some humour and irony in the story of how the humans lost control of their city to the Replicators. From what he could work out these events had taken place shortly after he arrived on the hive. After rescuing some long-lost Lanteans from the void outside the galaxy, these newcomers had been summarily dismissed from the city and the galaxy back to their home world. The Replicators had then been able to take the city due to a change to their coding that now allowed them to attack their makers – a change that had been made by one of Sheppard's scientists. A small group of humans, including Sheppard had then managed to reclaim the city by using some technology developed on their home world. The fact that these rescued Lantean's showed their gratitude by dismissing Sheppard and his friends just confirmed his views about the arrogance of humans. Others did not share his amusement. The Wraith was not really surprised – few had any experience with humans beyond feeding.

The relationship that existed between the humans and the Replicators was obviously complex and as he sat in the laboratories discussing it with the chief scientist they both had their own ideas of how things could progress. As usual, the Wraith had to take care not to reveal too much about his interactions with the humans involved – so he decided to refer to Sheppard's humans as 'new' Lanteans to reduce the chances of inadvertently using the human's name.

"So the Lanteans created these Replicators to attack us without first testing how they would evolve. I had always believed these artificial beings to be something left behind by the Lanteans in one final attempt to try to eradicate us. But we can probably class them as yet another failed experiment." The Wraith knew about other failed experiments that lay dormant in the Lantean city - the lack of any response from the scientist indicated he either did not remember or did not know.

The scientist laughed. "We should not forget that we have also had some experiments that did not deliver the results their architects had envisaged or promised. But I agree – these humans do seem determined to dabble in things they do not fully understand. I wonder why?"

"I believe both the Lanteans and these 'new' Lanteans share a common view of other life in the galaxy that allows them to act without considering all possible consequences of their actions on any but their own. They see themselves as masters of all and care not how their actions may affect others. This is what made the Lanteans a dangerous enemy and I would not underestimate the capacity of these 'new' Lanteans to be equally as dangerous."

"You had far more experience dealing with the Lanteans than I but I do not understand why you are so certain about these 'new' humans. Have you ever had contact with them?"

The Wraith looked intently at the other but did not detect anything but curiosity. "No, but they live in the city of the Lanteans and can use their technology so there must be some connection between the two races." He thought it wise to divert the conversation away from what he knew about humans. "Do you know if the virus that we used to end the threat of these Replicators is in this hive's data banks?"

"This hive was grown after that threat was overcome – I doubt if we would still carry the virus."

If the chief scientist did not know this virus was on board the hive the commander certainly would not. The Wraith smiled the fleeting little smile of self satisfaction that often touched his lips when he realised he was the sole holder of important information.

"How do you think this situation will develop?"

"I think it is at a stalemate." The scientist gently stroked his beard. "Neither side seem eager to take the initiative and attack the other outright. I cannot see things changing too quickly."

"I disagree – I remember the single-minded purpose these Replicators showed when the attacked us so long ago. Tensions are definitely building. It mirrors the situation that existed before the war with the Lanteans became a full scale conflict and I expect the same outcome here. I wonder who will be the first to move."

But the scientist appeared to lose interest in the problems of others and their conversation moved back to the Lanteans. Both were fascinated by the thought of lost Lanteans being rescued from various parts of the galaxy. The scientist had heard another story about some Wraith finding a damaged Lantean warship floating in a remote area. A ship that had supposedly held information that would have allowed them to significantly upgrade their hyper-drives but it had been destroyed before its secrets could be found. After the war the Wraith had always been assumed that all the Lanteans had either been destroyed or disappeared from the galaxy. Could there be more out there either hidden away in the galaxy or travelling in the void around it? The idea of lost Lanteans, a race who had thought themselves so superior, spending so long floating helplessly in limbo amused them both.

-oOo-

The Wraith was certain that the intelligence gathered by the worshipper went beyond the troubled relationship of the 'new' Lanteans and the Replicators. But it appeared that this relationship was all that interested the commanders of the four alliance hives. He found this reprehensible – a good commander needed to know everything he could about his enemy so he could fully gauge and understand their strengths and weaknesses. But these four were unable to look too far beyond the immediate concerns of this civil war – they could not see that a far greater danger came from outside Wraith society. It was unwise to forget that as a species Wraith had no friends in the galaxy and were a common enemy to humans and Replicators alike.

He was hungry to learn as much as he could about the humans, particularly the one who had given him a new chance at life. He knew the worshipper probably carried such information but would not see it as important enough to share voluntarily. So he was forced to look for another way to access this additional intelligence. The realisation of how to do this came quite unexpectedly when he learnt that a bond existed between this worshipper and his own. With careful handling he was able to use her as a conduit to extract information. He had never before needed to use a worshipper this way and he had to curb his annoyance when she came back with information that was useless. Of course, it took longer than if he had simply asked the worshipper personally but he would not risk showing his interest too openly. His watcher was still around and, although things had settled since their confrontation outside the queen's quarters, the Wraith still put chose to put caution first.

It seemed that while Sheppard was a military commander, he also answered to a queen. While Sheppard had not spoken of her, the Wraith was certain she was the female he heard talking to the Genii commander before he'd been told to feed. She certainly appeared to have some of the traits of a Wraith queen. She'd refused to trade another for Sheppard's life preferring to sacrifice her commander rather than appear weak. In all his dealings with humans the Wraith had never come across a society that was led by a female. He wondered if this queen exercised absolute authority or did she and Sheppard have a relationship like the one he had shared with his queen? He knew he would find the answer to this question eventually but in the meantime he must anticipate any possibility.

The fact that the Replicators holding the Lantean city were destroyed using technology the humans brought from their home world interested the Wraith. Had these weapons been built to destroy an enemy identical to these Replicators? Had such an enemy also been created by the Lanteans? Was the Sheppard's home galaxy the place the Lanteans had fled to after the war? Even as he thought this through he knew this was the only explanation. How else could Sheppard's ability to use control Lantean technology be explained – they must carry the same unique gene the Lanteans had used to protect their technology from Wraith. Whatever the answer to all these questions, it was clear that these humans came from a galaxy where other technologically advanced species existed. Had the humans developed their own technology or had they merely found and appropriated Lantean technology? To the Wraith's mind this was an important question – the answer would tell him if they had the power to completely wipe out the Replicators.

This 'new' Lantean scientist who worked for Sheppard also gave him cause for thought. He knew that this one was named McKay and wondered if he had been amongst the group who had come to Sheppard's rescue. On one level he would like to meet one who was clearly a good scientist; on another level he was concerned about how McKay's work might affect his race. The scientist had access to all the science, research and laboratories of the Lanteans and the fact that he had manipulated the replicator base code indicated that he had a sophisticated understanding of this branch of Lantean technology. The Wraith doubted he would be working alone and if he were to find and manipulate the Wraith virus that held back the Replicator's attack code they would be in serious trouble. Of course McKay would have to recognise exactly how the virus coding functioned but the Wraith suspected this would not be beyond his capabilities. The Wraith also knew there were other secrets hidden in the Lantean city that would cause inestimable damage if they were utilised by those who did not fully understand the implications of the technology. And given the humans' capacity to inadvertently create dangerous situations he found this situation concerning.

He also found out that Sheppard had brought to account the human who was the object of their shared hatred – the Genii commander, Kolya. The Wraith was disappointed with this news. He had never before considered feeding on a human in order to gain revenge - mainly because no other human had ever treated him with the cruelty shown by this one. And that was what made this particular human so different. As he listened to his worshipper recount the story of Kolya's death his mind went back to the humiliation this human had so clearly enjoyed inflicting. He would have taken a great deal of pleasure from watching the face that had so often looked on him with disgust become contorted with the same pain and desperation he had seen on the human female he had last fed upon. It would have been such sweet retribution. He sighed – not only was this an opportunity he would never come to realise but the whole experience had completely changed his attitude towards feeding on humans who had aggrieved him.

-oOo-

The flight in the dart had lifted his spirits and he knew he must soon make decisions about some concrete plans for his future. Actually, not just his future – he now had followers. They were still in the shadows – anyone looking for signs of malcontent would find nothing. He knew they would not show their hands until he had committed to one course or another.

But there were still questions. Challenging a commander was a serious commitment - one he doubted any of his followers had ever made before. Would these followers be strong enough in their own conviction and belief to entrust him with their future? When the time came would they be strong enough to overcome the brutality of the commander's followers? He knew that things had changed – betrayal came more easily now than before the civil war but would his followers be prepared to kill their own kind in order to achieve success?

And there were still more practical political aspects to be considered. How would a move against this commander be viewed by the other commanders in this alliance? He may be young and inexperienced but he was still a commander and a move against him should be seen by others as a dangerous precedent they could not allow to succeed. Or had the civil war changed values so much that a mutiny would be ignored or simply seen as a weak leader falling to one who was ruthless and arrogant enough to challenge him.

Importantly, he had to decide when would be the optimum time to start cultivating this link he had with the young queen and manipulate her to his own ends. She was the key to his plans – if she accepted him then the attitude of the other commanders would matter less. But she was still as great a mystery as she had been when he arrived on the hive. While he was relieved she had not yet attempted to throw off the commander's control, he could not wait too long before acting. And his worshipper's success getting information about the humans made him consider how she might be of use to him here.

-oOo-

Master and worshipper had contact on a daily basis now. The neck and shoulder massages had become an enjoyable ritual – one that seemed to satisfy a need for them both. She had arranged for him to be fitted for a new, more elegantly styled coat to replace the standard one he had been given when he arrived. He knew she would have liked to do something about his hair but he had accepted that his days of well groomed hair were long gone.

Sometimes when he sat meditating she would come and sit next to him – not touching but close enough for him to feel the warmth of her body. At first he had found it slightly confronting but had grown to accept it. He knew that she mediated too – he sensed her drawing strength from spiritual creatures she referred to as 'gods' who were important to her society. He knew that while she was satisfied with her life on the hive, she still considered it an alien environment and missed life on her home world – not so much her fellow humans but the freedom to go where she pleased, the sun on her back, the feel of the breeze on her face, the softness of the ground beneath her feet. While the Wraith's affinity with the natural world allowed him some small degree of empathy, he always kept in mind her words about him understanding her life in some way. So he treated her with respect without leaving himself open to more accusations of kindness.

He must broach the topic of the queen discreetly. It would be useful to first find out if she was close to any who knew the worshippers who served the queen. "I have heard humans on this ship talk of 'friends' – what does this word mean?"

"Friends are others from outside your family that you come to like and respect. You share your thoughts with them, you laugh together and you help them when they are in difficulty. I do not believe this is a concept that your race understands."

The Wraith nodded. "I have known some whom I respect and would consider my brothers. But that respect is not earned easily and is based on their deeds and reputation. There are very few that I enjoy sharing my thoughts and ideas with and I would rather not spend too much of my time in the company of others. I certainly see no value in helping others unless you are sure you will also benefit from your actions. Who are your friends?"

"I do not have many – perhaps one of the women who serve the queen's needs is my closest friend?"

The Wraith felt every muscle in his body tighten. How could he not know about this relationship? Why had he not sensed it before? He was annoyed with himself and with her. He thought he had searched every corner of her mind and knew all her secrets. But as he looked now he saw this relationship quite clearly and knew he had missed it because it had not been hidden and because he had not been the slightest bit interested in her relationships beyond the one she shared with him.

"How do you know her?"

She looked up sharply hearing the annoyance in his voice and saw a flash of anger in his amber eyes. She had also felt the tension rise in his body. Beyond the one who had collected the information about the humans, he had never shown any interest in other worshippers on the hive. She wondered why he was angry at the mention of this one who served the queen.

"We come from the same home world although she has been on the hive for much longer. She is older than me and helped me when I arrived."

He took a deep breath in order to control his emotions. "She has a difficult job – it can be hard to please a queen."

His voice had lost the edge of anger but the worshipper felt she needed to do something to restore the peace between them.

"She thinks the queen is lonely because she is starting to become more difficult. Her only contact is with the commander and he speaks to her only to inform her of what is going on with the hive and the alliance. My friend thinks there may be some trouble to come between them as the queen has started to talk about how she wants things done but the commander does not listen."

He looked down at her. Any irritation he had felt was now completely washed away by the satisfaction of knowing that the situation between the queen and the commander was developing as he had anticipated – as he wanted. The tight control was starting to be challenged and the commander's inexperience prevented him from recognising and heeding the warning signs. The time had come to start strengthening the vague telepathic links he had with the queen and provide her with some support and guidance to help her overcome the commander's hold.

But he did not have time to implement this new strategy before the news arrived.

-oOo-

Despite the hostilities of the civil war, this news travelled fast. As he had predicted, the stalemate between the 'new' Lanteans and the Replicators would not go on indefinitely. The humans had decided to end the stalemate and launched a pre-emptive strike on the Replicator's home world. The exact details were vague but it was said that the Replicator's response had been swift and deadly. The 'new' Lanteans had survived but they had been forced to leave their world and flee to an unknown planet.

The next lot of news travelled even faster and reverberated around the Wraith world like a shock wave. A fleet of ships had appeared out of nowhere and attacked a Wraith home world. The details here were even more unclear but the Wraith knew that the humans were involved in some way. And just as the Lantean war had provided an opportunity for his advancement, he knew that this conflict now held the key to his plans to regain his former place.

***********

**AN: there will probably only be a couple more chapters of this little saga. But as I get ready to send Todd off on his merry way, I've started to think that it might be fun to do a Todd's-eye-version of the events laid out in **_**The Seer**_**. I'd welcome any thoughts about this ;-)**


	11. Chapter 11

Once the initial shock of the unprovoked attack had sunk into the collective Wraith understanding, the tensions and animosities of the civil war were seemingly forgotten in the face of this common enemy. The initial dealings between hives and alliances were still laced with mistrust but as more hives and cruisers were attacked and some destroyed, either in engagements with Replicator ships or as a result of being ambushed, some of the old relationships began to be restored. A council of commanders modelled on the one that had overseen the Lantean war was called. The fact that some hives no longer carried queens complicated proceedings. Those commanders who acted under the orders of a queen expected their views to take precedence over those who did not.

It was decided that when possible hives and cruisers should travel in groups to avoid the risk of lone ships being targeted and destroyed. However final decisions on how these groupings would operate were left to the individual hive commanders. Many were reluctant to commit their safety to those who they had considered enemies until so recently and preferred to try their luck on their own. The divisiveness of civil war had infiltrated deeply into the Wraith consciousness. But specific groups were formed to carry out activities considered important enough to be put above politics. Some groups were assigned to protect Wraith home worlds, some patrolled the galaxy around the Replicator home world, and the rest were tasked with gathering whatever intelligence they could about the enemy.

But while concern over this surprise attack was genuine, concern over the extent of the threat was tempered by the knowledge that these machines had been dealt once before. What did a race as powerful as Wraith have to fear from an enemy that already proved to be vulnerable to their science? All they had to do was redeploy the virus and the Replicators would return to their home planet, oblivious once again to the existence of Wraith.

-oOo-

The Wraith's initial belief that this conflict offered an opportunity to advance his own agenda was not diminished as these plans were made but he had to consider the best way to handle the situation. While it was clear to _him _that the 'new' Lanteans were connected to this attack, as he listened to conversations around the hive others did not seem to have made this link. His fear that the one called McKay would manipulate the Replicator's base code to focus their animosity away from the humans and back to their initial target was probably correct. He could see no other possible explanation. The time may come when he must acknowledge that he knew more about these humans than he probably should, but at this stage he had no reason to doubt that the solution to this current problem lay within reach of their own scientists.

Not surprisingly, he had not been invited to any of the meetings between the commanders although he sensed that his presence on this hive had become common knowledge among the hives they had met with regularly since the first attack. He wondered how their commander was performing in a situation that would test all his skills and lay his inexperience open for all to see.

The Wraith knew that teams of scientists were being assembled at a number of different research facilities to work on finding out why the virus was no longer working. He also knew that his role as one of the scientists who had written the original virus coding made him a valuable asset but as yet he had not been approached to help. Was this due to his commander's inexperience or stubbornness? Either way it did not matter – if they would not come to him, he must go to them. He would offer his help but it would not be done modestly by seeking to find the commander in his quarters. No confrontation was needed here. It was important to the Wraith's longer term plans that all on board this hive knew exactly what he was offering. He knew the commander was at the helm of the hive meeting with some of his opposite numbers from other hives - he would not have a better time.

Each step he took towards the bridge reinforced his belief that this was the right course of action. And as he felt his confidence grow he suddenly sensed his mind being probed by a presence that until now he had only felt as something vague and ill-defined. Perhaps this opportunity would prove to be even more useful that he had first imagined.

-oOo-

This was the first time he had come onto the bridge since his return. The sights and sounds evoked some powerful memories – memories that further strengthened his resolve to stay until all his demands were met. There were two other commanders there - the Wraith was not familiar with either.

He looked around and realised all those who had played a significant part in his life since joining the hive were also here – his watcher, obviously surprised; his escort, also with a surprised look on his face; and the chief scientist who was clearly unhappy about something.

The watcher moved to intercept him before the commander became aware of this uninvited visitor.

"You will leave here now."

The Wraith laughed and spoke aloud to gain full effect – he wanted to make sure none were in any doubt about his purpose in coming here. "I have come to speak to the commander not an irrelevant underling such as you." He moved threateningly close to the watcher. "I will speak with him and your pathetic posturing will not stop me."

He now had the attention of all and, he could sense, the respect of those who had enjoyed seeing the watcher dismissed in such a manner. As his eyes bore into the back of the commander's head, he realised that most of the others on the bridge, including his watcher, had withdrawn several steps. The commander did not look at him as he spoke.

"What do you mean by coming here? Has some of your true arrogance started to rise from the depth of your pathetic being and led you to mistakenly think you have a place here? Or are you simply lost again?" He laughed and now turned to look at his supporters who echoed his derision.

The nature and tone of these words indicated to the Wraith that he could take the upper hand in this conversation if he could contain his own sarcasm to acceptable levels.

"I may have come to make sure you were still on board. For many of us with more experience, those of us who have served under..." He stopped as if searching for the right words. "wiser, more intelligent commanders, the sense of purpose and leadership on this hive is pathetic." Sarcasm despatched he moved to take control by putting the commander on the defensive.

"But I have come help you develop some sort of reputation. I am here to offer my help with this unfortunate problem we now face. I was one of those who developed the virus used against our enemy before – there are few in this galaxy who can claim this. You know this to be true and yet I am not the one you think to send to help those who to work to defeat our enemy this time. I wonder why that is?" The Wraith moved around to stand in front of one of the control panels and ran his hands over the keyboard. "Could it be that you are unable, or perhaps even unwilling, to put your personal feelings aside? Or are you just a fool?"

The commander flexed his hands as he took in the challenge that had just been made in front of some of the most significant members of the crew. He had effectively been accused of failing to put the safety of the hive above all other possible considerations – a failing that had led to the downfall of commanders with far more experience and respect than him. The sarcasm had disappeared from his voice when he finally answered.

"Your arrogance knows no bounds. Do not flatter yourself that your experience is that valuable – do you think that there are no others on this hive who can do this work as well as you?"

The Wraith looked at the chief scientist as he responded. "No." He turned and looked at the other two commanders who were watching with avid interest. "But this is not arrogance. It is the truth. Our scientists are good at what they can do – but they will be the first to admit their experience with this problem is limited." He walked closer to the commander. "They have never faced a creature that is devoid of life and yet has an insatiable hatred for our race. I worked on these things – came to understand the complexity of their design as we developed and tested the virus. I know how difficult it was distribute and activate this program first time around. Do you believe it will be any easier this time?"

He stood back and looked around at all those assembled. "And now you, one who has never had to face this enemy, one who has never taken a hive into a proper battle, one who leads through fear rather than respect, _you_ say that my experience is of no value? Perhaps it is _your_ experience that is of no value. Perhaps the time has come give command of this hive to someone with more experience in defeating an enemy rather than running at the first sign of trouble."

The commander's face contorted with anger. He let out a guttural growl and moved towards the Wraith lifting his feeding hand. Then he stopped.

The Wraith realised the commander was looking past him. He turned to see the queen.

The commander was the first to speak although the anger was still evident in the timbre of his voice. "My queen, you should not be here."

"Why do you think that commander? Is this not _my_ hive? Are these not _my_ loyal servants? Are you _not_ my loyal servant?" The cold steel in her voice left no doubt about who was in charge. "Or could it be that you are afraid I will see some value in the words of your challenger?"

"Of course, we are all here to serve you and protect you. But there is nothing here that I cannot take care of – such matters are not important enough to trouble you."

The Wraith knew that the commander was taking a dangerous approach. He had learnt through his own mistakes that no queen takes kindly to being told that she should not worry about anything that happens on her hive, especially when she has clearly overheard discussion about how important this issue is to their whole race.

"I hear you speak of this enemy who wants to destroy us all and you say it is not important enough to trouble me. By what authority do you make this decision? And please, enlighten me about the type of problem you do consider important enough for me to be concerned about?"

"I do not think ..."

"Quiet! I have come to realise how little you do think and I will have to decide if I have further use for a commander who is a fool. Especially when I see others who may offer far more than you could ever." The queen nodded in the Wraith's direction. "He will go to assist with the research." She glared at the commander but her voice had dropped to a menacing whisper. "Do you wish to question my judgement?"

"No, my queen. Your orders will be obeyed without question."

She turned and left the bridge. The Wraith waited for a suitable space of time before turning to follow her. He had won a victory over the commander and he would not allow the magnitude or importance of it to be diminished by further conversation. Besides he sensed that the queen had not yet finished with him.

-oOo-

The Wraith stopped, smiled and took a deep breath. There was no turning back now – he was irrevocably set on either the path to regaining his power and prestige or the path to oblivion.

But this smile disappeared as he sensed his watcher closing in behind him.

"You think you have won a victory. But it will not benefit you if you're dead?"

The Wraith knew he had two choices – keep moving and ignore this comment or stay and finish this now. He chose the latter option. Taking another deep breath he turned.

"Are you the minion sent by a desperate master to finish the work he is now afraid to do himself? Or are you here in a pathetic attempt to please your master and make up for your failure in allowing me to even reach the bridge?"

"I am here to make sure you cause no more trouble on this hive. I have had enough of the clever words you use to confuse me. I warned you of the fate that befalls those who upset me."

The Wraith smiled but there was no humour behind the mask. "Your threats hold no fear for me. You are an insignificant underling who lives on brutality and the fear you can instil in those you consider weaker than yourself. You need to be put back down in your place."

This time the watcher laughed his voice thick with ridicule. "And I suppose you believe you can be the one to do this?"

The Wraith looked closely at the watcher and realised that what he felt for this one went deeper than the general distain he felt for those who had not earned his respect. His dislike was akin to the feelings he held towards those humans who had imprisoned and tortured him for so many years. He must deal with this now and lay to rest some of the ghosts that continued to haunt him.

He moved quickly to slam his tormentor back against the wall and began to feed. The look of shock on the watcher's face as he realised what was happening heightened the Wraith's need to be rid of this one for good. The watcher tried to struggle but the Wraith was too strong, too determined to be deterred from this course of action. He looked into the other's eyes and saw the shock turn to terror and felt nothing.

The Wraith let the lifeless husk fall to the ground and looked at his feeding hand. He had just crossed a line and moved to a place from which he could never return. He had fed on humans who had annoyed or angered him but he had never taken the life of another of his race for those same reasons. He had taken his sense of frustration over being denied the opportunity to seek retribution from the Genii leader Kolya and used it to fuel his anger here. Clearly, his old attitudes and ideals were changing in ways he was only beginning to understand. But as the energy continued to surge through his body he knew he would prefer not do such a thing again – unless the situation offered him no other option.

He kicked the body to one side. It would be discovered soon enough and he had no doubt he would be seen as being responsible for the deed. But there were few others on this ship who held his former watcher in any degree of esteem. Certainly non who would challenge him now that his position on the hive had been acknowledged so publically by the queen.

-oOo-

It was not long before he sensed the summons from the queen. Even as he waited he had begun to feel her presence infiltrating the hive. He strode through the corridors to the throne room and remembered his last journey down this path when he had clung to the shadows, hiding his identity as closely as possible. There was only one warrior keeping guard at the door and he moved aside without question to allow the Wraith passage into the chamber.

She was sitting on the throne with her eyes closed.

"Did you go before my commander with the aim of demeaning him?"

"No madam, I merely went to offer my help."

She laughed – a long deep laugh that came from deep inside her. He had never heard a queen laugh before, not even his own, and wondered if it was something they forgot as they got older. When he thought of other queens he had known he was sure this was the case.

"To help who – yourself or my hive?" She stood up and walk around him.

She saw a tall, strong male who exuded more age and experience than any she had ever known. He was bold too, despite the fact that he had just come within seconds of possibly losing his life. Admittedly his hair could do with some work but he had an interesting tattoo - overall she found his appearance pleasing. He carried himself with the confidence of one who had seen much and fears little. She felt a degree of trust in him that she had not felt since she arrived in this hive but she also knew that she should not and must not trust him too far. Her sisters had warned her about males such as this – old, clever, cunning creatures who survive through their ability to turn even the bleakest situation to their own advantage. There were not many of them in the galaxy but they had to be managed carefully or they would not hesitate to sacrifice even their queen to their own ambitions.

He saw a young queen whose experience and maturity matched his expectations. He was impressed by her appearance. She was taller than he had expected and her long black hair was braided with green ribbons. Her gown was also black with panels of green and sat low on her shoulders. As he responded to her mind, he was surprised to find a level of cunning that he had not expected from one so young. He also felt a structured mind that had not yet become closed to new ideas such as he would find in an older queen – a mind that could still be influenced by one with the right experience.

He knew exactly how important this interview was to his future and discreetly waited for her to start the conversation. She had finally decided to assert her position, but still had doubts about how she should control the hive. He knew that if he upset her or pushed her too far at this stage she would take him down without as much as a second thought.

"I have sensed you since you came on board. I did not know who you were but I knew you were much stronger than any other on my hive. I also listened to your thoughts about me. You had no respect for me. Did you really think I allowed my commander to dominate me without understanding what I should be doing?"

The Wraith bowed his head respectfully – clearly he had not fully understood the situation here. "I saw only what you allowed me to see madam. I would never underestimate a queen - even one as young as you."

"I have heard how well you practice to deceive and manipulate others with your carefully chosen words." Her voice was hard and cold and he had a glimpse of the formidable queen she would one day become. "Do not think you can manipulate me or you will pay the price."

"I misunderstood. It will not happen again." Still his head was bowed. They were playing a subtle game. Both sensed that they were destined to form the bonds of leadership eventually, but knew that skillful manipulation was an integral part of that relationship

"No, it will not. Or you will meet the fate you so recently handed out so arbitrarily to the one who annoyed you."

"I..."

"You took it upon yourself to take the life of one of my crew. My commander will demand that you be punished."

"That decision is yours not his. I believe that one would have fed on me if I had not acted first – I was merely defending myself."

"He was a member of _my_ hive. Taking his life is just part of the pattern of disrespect you have shown to me. I am one of the first queens to come to a new hive since this civil war began and my sisters told me to watch and learn about all of my followers before I moved to assert my position. And yet you saw this as weakness."

"Now that I fully understand, my queen, I consider it a wise strategy. But I continue to believe your commander thought he could control you in a way that does not befit one in your position. It was not your weakness I saw but his inability to develop the sort of relationship a good commander needs to be able to serve his queen properly."

"I was starting to become annoyed with him, yes." She returned to her throne. "I suppose you see yourself as one who could develop a relationship that would allow you to serve me properly?"

He lowered his head in respect. "My queen, I would gladly serve you and your hive but for now we have a more pressing problem. This enemy will not..."

"Yes, I understand fully the urgency of the task ahead of us. We will be setting a course for the facility in which you will work – it is well away from the home world of these Replicators. I'm sure there are others there who will welcome your experience. In fact I believe there are some there with whom you would have worked before." She looked down at her long elegant fingers. "And I will be pleased to have you off my hive until the commander learns to control his anger towards you. But do not imagine your contact with this hive to be at an end. You will return here when your work is finished and any success you have will be counted as success for this hive."

She closed her eyes – he had been dismissed. The Wraith turned to leave but was stopped by one final question.

"Would you have pushed my commander to the point of threatening your life if you had not known I was standing behind you?"

"That, my queen, is something neither of us shall ever know."

-oOo-

The Wraith stood watching a group of the hive's warriors practice hand-to-hand combat. He wondered who had ordered this activity – clearly it was not one who understood the strength and determination of the enemy they were now facing. They had spent so long as undisputed masters of this galaxy, they were ill-prepared to understand, let alone counter, such naked, unprovoked aggression.

He wondered if they had lost their ability to look beyond their own society and too easily dismissed the other occupants of the galaxy as irrelevant. Had they had become sure that nothing could threaten their superiority that they had become complacent. Certainly, this civil war had changed attitudes towards each other but not their attitudes to other species. Their relationship with humans was premised on fear and subjugation. Wraith depended on humans for their survival but they gave very little thought to these creatures. They knew most humans thought of them as cold, evil creatures but they did not care. Why would they – they held the upper hand in this relationship, so to speak. These 'new' Lanteans were proving to be a nuisance but they were weaker than the original Lanteans and lack the resources to launch a serious attack. But these Replicators were different.

But he had to acknowledge that he was amongst the few who seemed to understand that defeating this enemy may not be as simple as just reactivating the virus. The few who remembered how many had died before these machines had been neutralised last time, who understood that these machines were now operating under an attack code with the sole purpose to exterminate Wraith. This enemy would not be placated or forced to run from the galaxy – they had to be either neutralised again or totally destroyed. This would be a war that must be won.

**AN: I think this is the penultimate chapter but you just never know...**


	12. Chapter 12

The hive emerged from hyperspace to join several other ships, including a handful of cruisers, orbiting a large planet. The Wraith was again standing beside the portal looking out into the vastness of space. This had been his favourite place of reflection since he'd joined his first hive and stood here watching his home world fade until it was nothing more than a tiny speck of light. The sight of so many hives gathered was rare now but it had been common before the civil war when alliances had met regularly to share research and information. It gave the Wraith a sense of satisfaction that in turn had a calming effect on his mind. His inner energies were in disarray and, while he was now more practised at drawing on the hive's latent energy to help restore his balance, any additional influence was welcome.

He had not communicated with any since his audience with the queen. None had approached him and he had been content to keep his own counsel. He had things to consider and knew no others on this hive could even begin to understand his position. He suspected that his supporters, including his old escort, who saw their own futures tied to his were annoyed that he had acted alone. But their feelings were not his concern. He welcomed their support but if they could not trust his judgement they would be of little use to him in the future.

The queen had been quite right of course. He _had_ pushed the commander further than he'd intended. He'd gone to find out why he was not involved in the research to get this virus working again. The decision to go on into more dangerous territory, to challenge the commander's fitness to lead and demean his character, had been prompted by a sudden awareness of her presence combined with the sure knowledge that anger made his opponent blind to her approach. But even then he had taken a huge risk – she could have simply allowed the commander to feed and his life would have been forfeit. But he _had_ succeeded and it was not in his nature to waste time thinking about failures that might have happened.

He sensed the approach of the chief scientist and found himself welcoming the presence of one so unskilled in politics. But he sensed another accompanying the scientist – the young escort who had been his first contact on the hive. Their paths had not crossed since then and the Wraith wondered why he was here now.

The scientist stopped and looked at his young companion. "He is here on the queen's orders – he has no experience with others from outside this hive. He may be useful." He believed this youngster had potential which needed to be tested before his abilities were dismissed completely.

The scientist joined the Wraith at the portal – the young male stayed back in the shadows. "I have always been fascinated that something as large as a hive ship can fly so elegantly."

The Wraith nodded and grunted amiably, sharing the scientist's appreciation of the technology but not wanting to get into a conversation about aerodynamics. "Are you both ready to leave? The sooner we are gone from this ship the better."

"I agree you should not linger here." The scientist betrayed a sense of nervousness that ignited a spark of anger in his companion.

"I do not fear this commander and nor should you." The Wraith hissed but his anger quickly turned to scorn. "He is weak and he is angry – not because of what I have done but because he cannot predict the consequences of my words and so fears for his future. He has lost control of his queen, although he does not fully understand this yet, and he feels his power over the rest slipping away."

"I do not understand the finesse of politics but should you not seek to stay on this hive and take advantage of this situation you have brought about?"

"No. My cause is best served by finding a way to redeploy this virus and nullify our enemy. I have the queen's trust so my position here is safe. The commander has feared what I could do since I joined this ship and he is now starting to understand the folly of allowing me onto his hive. I have just become a much larger shadow for him to fear – one that has a far greater store of experience and power upon which to draw. No, I have sown the seeds of his downfall and, fed by his own insecurities, they will continue to grow even in my absence."

"If he feared you, why did he allow you to live?"

"Because I used his own fears to make him believe it would be in his best interests to keep me alive and because I then showed respect for the opportunity he gave me." The Wraith turned his attention to them both. "Success is achieved by following different paths, many of which are hidden to others until it is too late and they are powerless to do anything but stand-by and watch the consequences of your actions." He turned his head to gaze back on the void outside the hive. "You will both do well to remember this if you wish to serve a commander with more talent and ambition than the one you serve now."

He set off briskly towards the dart bay. "I merely meant the sooner we are off this ship the sooner we can begin our work." The scientist took one last look at the gathered hives and moved to follow – the young escort followed silently.

oOo-

There was silence as they flew down to the research facility in one of the hive's transporters. The Wraith sensed that the pilot's loyalty lay with the commander so he had no desire to engage with the scientist and reveal anything that could be reported back. He just ignored the young escort.

The scientist was less attuned to the tensions that surrounded him. He spent some short time wondering if the youngster sitting next to him would have the intelligence to make the most of this opportunity but, as with most Wraith, his thoughts quickly turned to his own situation. He thought how working with other scientists would improve his own position and opportunities. Yes, he was chief scientist on a hive but it was not one of the outstanding hives in the galaxy – it followed rather than led. He would never forget that he held this position because of the defection of the hive's more experienced and, he had to admit, cleverer scientists. He would never know the success of this one he had chosen to follow but as he thought over the advice about taking different paths to achieve an end, he could see a path ahead that would enhance his prospects.

The Wraith looked out of the small portal and watched the verdant greens and vibrant yellows and browns of the planet come into focus and transform into endless forests of huge, spreading trees. The sun was rising over the horizon casting an array of dancing pink and golden threads through the sky and the landscape. There were some high mountains away on the horizon, mountains that were continually shrouded with cloud so the sun did not shine and the atmosphere was damp and clinging. It was amongst these mountains that the research facility lay – hidden to all but those who knew its exact location.

He had been to this world before during his long life – several times in fact. It once had human inhabitants but they were long gone – one of the populations stolen away to safety by the Lanteans in those tense times before the war began in earnest. He had been involved in culls on this planet – indeed some of the first humans he had fed upon were natives of this world. Strangely, he found himself thinking of them as he looked down on their lost heritage – not with any particular feelings about their fate but rather with a sense of how situations can change and how success for any species was linked to their ability adapt to such change.

This was also the world where he'd worked with others to develop the virus. He wondered how many of them were back in this research facility. Indeed, it had been a long, long time – he wondered how many of them still lived.

oOo-

The transporter landed smoothly on the small landing bay attached to the facility. The pilot did not linger and the Wraith knew his instincts had been correct – he would never gain this one's loyalty. Still he did not seem a particularly gifted pilot – he could be classified as expendable.

The facility was not large – certainly not of the scale of the old cloning facility where he had also worked. They walked briskly to the facility's main entrance in order to find shelter before the frosty chill of the early morning air cooled their bodies too much. Inside, the entrance was guarded by three warriors who stood aside without questioning the identity of these strangers.

Once inside all three immediately fell into tune with the rhythms of the facility. Ground facilities were made of the same organic material as hives and cruisers but had some subtle differences. In basic appearance they were similar although the colours and textures of the walls carried the deeper, more intense colour seen in a hive's laboratories. They lacked some of the healing essences that abounded on hives – these facilities never went into battle so did not need to regenerate and repair themselves. Instead the essence here focused on nurturing creativity and innovation, again mirroring the labs on a hive but with far more intensity. They were grown for one specific purpose and were left in a state similar to stasis once that purpose had been served or the work terminated. This facility and the others that had been built for work on this computer virus were slightly different. They had been kept on-line but with minimal power generation – just enough to maintain the energy fields that surrounded the test specimen even though that creature's functions had been neutralised.

The main laboratory was just as he remembered it – several terminals and monitors and over in one corner, suspended in the strong force field, was the specimen that had been the key to their success before. It was inactive so at this point the force field was not necessary.

Only two others were working in the room. One was a youngster who, like theirs, appeared to not have much experience beyond the most basic tasks.

But the other was very different. The Wraith knew there were few of their race older than he and he was standing before one of them now. Here was an old scientist who had been his earliest teacher and mentor on his first hive. They had then worked together on the original virus but their paths had not crossed since. Both bowed their heads slightly as a mark of respect towards the other. The Wraith might be younger but the teacher knew that his former pupil had achieved far more power and glory than he would ever see so was prepared to take a secondary role in this relationship.

So it was the Wraith who opened their communication. "It has been a long time – I did not expect to work with you again on such a problem. Are there others who will join us?"

"No. We have done this before so will work alone." The old scientist had never been one for long explanations. "I had heard you'd come back from the dead. If any could do such a thing it would be you."

The Wraith nodded thoughtfully. "I have had some ... setbacks but nothing that I cannot reverse." He walked over to one of the terminals. "You say we are the only ones who will work here and yet there are several hives orbiting this world. Why?"

"There were others. I sent them away. The hives may choose to remain, I neither know nor care." The old scientist walked over and stood before one of the other terminals. "Work is being done at one other facility but I do not expect them to succeed. If _we_ cannot solve this problem, it cannot be solved."

-oOo-

The long days and nights of this world passed quickly as the three scientists focused solely on their task. The two young Wraith shared responsibility for maintaining the program that held the specimen within its force field and other trivial work when necessary. The Wraith was surprised at the level of understanding his youngster showed for the work and began to understand what led the chief scientist to believe this one had potential to be a good scientist.

Initially their work followed a similar pattern to the work done all those centuries ago. They tested the specimen and found that its base code was different to the code that the virus had been designed to infiltrate. So even though it had been off-line for so long, it was now programmed to attack Wraith.

But the job became more difficult as they had setback after setback. They attempted to upload the virus again without success; they tested and retested multiple permutations of the virus again without success. Finally they tried changing the Replicator base code but still they were unable to effect the change needed to neutralise the creatures again. The problem lay in the fact that they were unable to decipher the exact changes that had been made to the base code. They had been made by someone who intended them to remain hidden – someone who clearly had much to gain by the Replicators winning this war. The Wraith now had no doubt that the 'new' Lanteans were behind these events and it was time to share his belief with the other two scientists.

"We are going round in circles. I detect the hand of others in this problem and I believe it is the hand of the humans who now occupy the city of the Lanteans."

"How that can be? They are under attack from these creatures too."

"Are they? How many reports have there been of attacks against them since this enemy turned its eyes to us?"

The old scientist grunted and nodded in agreement "None." But he would not let go of his doubts that easily. "They are strangers to this galaxy. They know nothing of the virus we used to stop this enemy before."

"You underestimated their capabilities. Consider this situation. They occupy the city of the Lanteans, they use their technology, they have access to the very laboratories where these creatures were created and, like the Lanteans, they would like nothing better than to see our race destroyed but lack the capabilities to do it on their own."

"I believe what you say to be true." The chief scientist was convinced by this argument even thought the old scientist still seemed sceptical. "I do not believe these creatures have made these changes themselves otherwise they would have done so long before now. The question is how to get the information we need from these humans."

"There is one human scientist whose name is known to the worshippers on our hive. He is called McKay and I believe that he is the one to be blamed for this interference. He is the one we need."

The old scientist laughed aloud. "And how do you propose to get him."

"We are speaking of humans. They believe themselves to be our equals but they have weaknesses and emotions that can be used against them. All we need do is find the right weakness and our job will be half done."

-oOo-

It took time and communication with the other facility and beyond to finally come up with a plan. Satedans were the key – Satedans who had served together but whose lives had taken very different directions when their home world was destroyed. One was a former runner who now moved through the galaxy with a group of the 'new' Lanteans. The others were now worshippers who would be used to feed the former runner and his new companions with the information that work was being done to again switch off the Replicator attack code. This would be the lure to bring the human scientist to the research facility to try to stop their work. Instead he would be captured and persuaded to work on repairing the base code using the test specimen. It was decided to use the other research facility – it was not as well hidden as this one in the mountains which meant that revealing its location to humans would be less of a loss to Wraith research capabilities.

The plan seemed simple enough and the Wraith had no doubt it could work. The young male took the opportunity to expand his base of knowledge. "I have not come across a Satedan – how would I recognise one?"

The Wraith was about to dismiss this question but decided this was the type of question he would have asked when young so humoured it. "They are usually large and loud with a strong hatred for our race. We destroyed their home world when they refused to acknowledge us as their masters. That is the sort of behaviour that cannot be allowed to go unchecked. They brought about their own end and yet blame us for merely responding to their pathetic efforts to defy us. They are not particularly astute and tend to respond to any situation with hostility and aggression. You will do well to avoid them as they will kill you as soon as look at you.

"Will this plan work?"

"You can never be sure any plan will work until it is brought to a successful conclusion. Even then it may not be the conclusion you originally wanted but it can still be considered a success." The youngster looked confused but the Wraith had not yet finished. "This plan seems simple enough but still there is scope for failure. What are your thoughts about it?"

He did not hear the youngster's response as word arrive that the plan had indeed been successful. The humans had been lured to the facility, captured and McKay put to work on reversing the effects of his tampering.

But success was destined to be short-lived. The Satedans had not been strong enough to contain the runner and he had escaped back to the 'new' Lanteans. The Wraith had seen the doggedness of these humans first hand with their rescue of Sheppard and knew the plan would not produce the results they needed. Sure enough the episode ended with the humans being rescued before McKay could finish his work while two of the Satedans were killed by their former friend.

So the plan did not achieve what they had hoped but from the small amount of work McKay had done it was obvious that these creatures had learnt how to change their own programming. It seemed victory over these Replicators would be much harder than even the Wraith had first thought.

Spirits were lifted when they started to win some battles. Replicator ships were almost identical to the old Lantean warships so were subject to the same few weaknesses. By taking advantage of these weaknesses, a number of Replicator ships were destroyed in ambushes with relatively few hives and cruisers lost in the process. But these were only short term gains. Those who had served in the Lantean war knew that in the longer term the tide of war would eventually turn against them. Wraith were already weakened by the civil war and the enemy's technology allowed them to build replacement ships at a much faster rate. Hive ships took months to grow and their ability to crew new ships was similarly depleted by the civil war. They could recommission the cloning facility but that would mean capturing enough Replicator ships to provide the enormous power needs.

No, the answer still lay in reintroducing some type of stand down code into the Replicators' programming. The other research facility had been compromised so all scientists were now working at this facility hidden away high in the mountains. But as luck would have it, when spirits were unusually low for a race that prided itself on its superiority over the galaxy, the key to winning the war came from an entirely unexpected source – the Replicators themselves.

-oOo-

The Wraith had returned to the hive, ostensibly to report to the queen on their progress but in reality he wanted to make sure that his plans were proceeding in his absence and do all he could to continue his opponent's downfall. He was in a private audience with the queen, something usually reserved for the ship's commander, when this particular ship's commander came in unannounced but obviously agitated.

He bowed to the queen and glared at the Wraith.

"_My_ queen." The commander placed special emphasis on 'my'. "I have..."

He got no further. "I am meeting with my most senior adviser and you think yourself important enough to enter my presence unannounced." The queen's voice barely rose above a quiet, dangerous hiss.

The Wraith stood back to watch, hardly able to control his smile of self-satisfaction. She had called him 'her most senior adviser' a title he obviously felt fitted but he was experienced enough to realise that there was more going on here. He had landed in the middle of a battle – one that his actions before leaving the hive had precipitated, one that had obviously been gathering momentum during in his absence and one that was clearly moving to a climax. Things had obviously progressed in his absence far better than he had ever anticipated.

Seeing an opportunity to further heighten the tension, the Wraith moved to stand at the left hand of the queen – the position reserved for the commander of a hive. "My queen, I believe this one might have something of importance to tell you otherwise he would not have risked so much to enter your presence when he knew you were ... occupied with matters of importance to the welfare of the hive." The pair locked eyes and the Wraith saw more unbridled hatred that he had ever encountered from another of his kind. But he had stood his ground against opponents with far more power than this one and, inevitably, it was the commander who averted his eyes first.

The queen had remained silent as this skirmish played out but now spoke with a word of warning for both these males standing before her. "Very well, speak but take care you do not waste my time."

The commander bowed his head in respect to the queen and pointedly ignored the Wraith.

"One of the hives we have been travelling with left recently to cull one of its nearby feeding grounds. They arrived to find the human settlements completely destroyed and the lifeless bodies of the entire population left rotting in the rubble. The hive's commander knows this was not the work of another hive – none would wreak such wanton violence on humans."

"What does he propose to do about this attack?"

"He is seeking a meeting of all hives in the immediate area madam. This is something that has never..."

Again the commander's words were silenced by the queen impatience. "I am well aware this has never happened before. You will make arrangements for us to travel to this meeting."

The commander bowed and turned to leave but the queen was not yet finished. "You may also attend if you feel you would have anything of value to contribute. Now leave us."

The commander did not respond but the Wraith noticed the slight dropping of his shoulders as the queen delivered her final words. A gesture that showed this young commander had finally recognised that his bid to control this hive was all but over. And there was absolutely nothing he could do to turn the tide that was now pushing him relentlessly back to oblivion for which he had come.

-oOo-

The Wraith walked back to his quarters so deep in his own thoughts that he was unaware the attitudes of others had changed towards him. Males stood aside to let him pass and heads were bowed slightly before him. He had just about reached his destination when he became aware of the change – he drew a series of deep, satisfied breaths and smiled as he entered the quarters he knew would not be his home for too much longer.

He was surprised to find his worshipper waiting for him. He had grown used to her absence during his time at the research facility and found her uninvited presence annoying. But she was clearly pleased to see him and after the avalanche of animosity from the commander he found this a welcome boost to his ego.

"I have missed you master."

The Wraith nodded and looked her up and down. "You have been well occupied while I have been gone."

"Yes master." He detected a slight note of hesitation in her response.

"Tell me what has happened."

She lowered her eyes. "There have been some with whom I once shared friendship who now shun my company because they serve those who you have chosen to challenge."

"Well, I am back and you need have nothing to fear from any other. Now I need time to myself."

If she was disappointed with this abrupt dismissal she knew better than to show it. She knew that he had used her to gain information to further his own cause. She also knew that her place among the worshippers was well and truly linked to his fortunes and when he achieved success there were several that she would take great pleasure to put in their place.

Once alone, the Wraith turned his mind to the job that lay ahead. He knew that Sheppard and his scientist McKay were still needed to win this battle but they would not allow themselves to be taken again so easily. There was no need now for deception though. This attack on a human world could only have been carried out by these Replicators – this was the hook he needed to get the 'new' Lantean's help with the war against their common enemy. All he had to do was convince them that it would be in their interest to share the secret of how McKay had manipulated the Replicator code.

But first he had to explain the plan to his queen and persuade her it would be in the hive's interests convince the rest of the queens and hive commanders that collaboration with humans was the best way to win this war. It would not be easy - he knew that many would be unable to understand how humans could provide help. The only time he would have to talk to the queen was in the transporter on their way to meet with the others. Queens did not like surprises nor did they like to be made to look like fools so he must present her with a well devised plan – this was not the time to be making things up as he went along.

-oOo-

The contingent of ships orbiting the plant had now doubled in size. The meeting was held on the hive of the most senior queen of the group. He walked quickly towards the transporter bay knowing he must be there before the queen – she would not tolerate having to wait for any who served her. His old escort was waiting next to the ramp onto the transporter and bowed his head when the Wraith approached.

"Well, it seems we will soon be calling you commander again after all."

Despite the trust that had developed between them the Wraith still looked at this male with caution. "What do you mean?"

"The commander has decided not to join you and the queen on this journey. You will stand beside our queen as her protector and adviser."

He was still considering these words when the queen arrived and boarded the transporter without communicating. The Wraith followed her on board and they were soon crossing the short distance to the other hive.

He did not have much time to explain his proposal. "My queen, I have a plan that I believe would help us overcome the problems we are facing redeploying this virus." He stopped but then took the queen's silence as a cue to continue. "We need to know what changes were made by the human scientist who now inhabits the city of the Lanteans. These 'new' Lanteans are known to provide help to other humans after their worlds have been culled. I believe they may be prepared to work with us now that this enemy has turned their attention to destroying whole human worlds."

Still the queen did not communicate but she did not interrupt either.

"After being captured at the research facility the humans will be on guard and not fall into the same trap again. But I propose we contact them directly and seek their assistance."

That stirred the queen's interest. "That will be a dangerous job – are you volunteering to do it?"

The Wraith smiled – finally he had to admit knowing these humans but revealing this knowledge held none of the concerns it had when he joined the hive. "Before I came to this hive I spent some time travelling around the galaxy surviving as best I could but occasionally running into difficulties. It was during one of these difficulties that I had cause to work with one of the leader's of these 'new' Lanteans on an issue of ... mutual benefit. I believe he would be open to my proposal. My queen, how I know these humans is not important – we need to find a solution that will let us deal with this enemy before they destroy us. And you must understand they are single-minded in their determination to achieve that goal."

Again the queen was silent but this time he knew it was because she was considering his proposal.

She did not speak until they arrived at the hive and she stood to leave the transporter. She stopped in front of him and looked directly into his eyes. He felt her power as she ran the back of her hand across his cheek. "I am taking a huge risk favouring you over the one who brought me to my hive. Do not fail me."

"Madam, I want only to see you prosper."

-oOo-

The Wraith stood behind his queen while she explained his proposal to the gathering. He was impressed by the confidence with which she spoke given that she was the most junior of the queens present. There was silence when she had finished and the Wraith sensed that most viewed her proposal with favour. But there was one doubter.

"How can you be certain these humans will agree to this plan?"

The Wraith waited for his queen's approval before he spoke. "Nothing is certain about this plan – least of all that the humans will help." He moved to assume the centre of attention. "Indeed, the only thing that is certain here is that these artificial creatures have the will and the capability to destroy our race. This is what they are programmed to do and they will not stop until every single Wraith is dead. My queen is offering a proposal that could stop that from happening. Do you have something better to suggest?" He moved over to stand directly before the commander who asked the question. "Are you prepared to accept the consequences of not at least trying this option?"

The questioner looked away and no others spoke.

The Wraith stood and looked around at the gathered queens and commanders. After arriving on a strange hive with nothing but his wits he now stood before these leaders and started to taste the power he had known so long ago. He had the agreement of twelve other hives to approach Sheppard and his humans to obtain the information needed to neutralise their common enemy.

His little smile of self-satisfaction turned the corners of his mouth. If any could make this plan succeed, it was him. Life had not been so sweet for a very long time.


End file.
